


Into the wild, a Far Cry Fanfiction

by naiara9321



Category: Far Cry 3
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-03-11 09:28:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 21
Words: 119,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3322367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naiara9321/pseuds/naiara9321
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The jungle? The synapsis in our brains go dark little by little. You forget where you are from, who you are" (Willis Huntley) What will Sofía be able to do in an attempt to survive Vaas' whims as his pet? Trigger warnings for violence, sex and drugs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1- Cold

**This story has an M rating due to drug use, violence, sex (including noncon), and for language.**

**Concretely, this chapter contains smut language, violence and a rather explicit scene of sexual assault. I strongly advise you not to read it in case you think you might feel offended.**

**I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.**

**Thank you very much for reading this little experiment (it's the first fanfiction I have ever published) , don't hesitate to post any reviews and critics :)**

* * *

I woke up due to the rain, it was splattering all over my face. It was cold inside the bamboo cage, I couldn't stop my teeth from chattering. I could hear the noises from my cage companions, lying like pigs wallowing in the mud, moaning and whimpering in a low voice, so the sentries surrounding us wouldn't hear them. My clothes were thoroughly soaked and the tank top I wore clung to me like a second skin, the bonds that tied me to a bamboo post had rubbed my skin raw. However, no matter how numb, cold and sore my body was, the worst sensation was fear, a fear that clutched my guts with a tight grip. How could I have ended like this?

A few hours ago I was comfortably sitting in a plane from Thailand due to Australia, where I was going to stay as an abroad student for a whole year. However, for some unknown reason, the plane had run out of fuel very soon, maybe there was a leak in the tank; anyway, we had to do an emergency landing in that island. That's when  _they_  came; the pilots had gone out to check the plane and try to contact with the airport but, apparently, there was no signal. We were sitting there, worry etched on every face, when the silence was broken by the sound of gunshots. People screamed and we crouched on the ground with our hands over the head. A crowd of rowdy men dressed in red and camo colours entered and began to scream orders. One of them grabbed me by the scruff of the neck.

"Vaya, mira lo que he pescado" he said in Spanish with a Columbian accent (I had no problem understanding him as I was from Spain myself) he leered at me with a cruel smile on his face.

They shoved us roughly out of the plane and tied our hands behind our backs. They shot to the air to make us move, we ran clumsily to a few tracks waiting nearby. They began to force us into the trucks, a big man hoisted me up into the truck, groping my breasts while he did it, I shot him a look of pure disgust. I dragged myself to a corner with the rest of the passengers. We were quite a few, what were they going to do with us?

I don't know how much time had passed, but we arrived to a big camp swarming with big, armed men. They laughed, jeered, whistled and taunted at us when the others took us to the main area. Afterwards, they threw us into those horrible cages and left us there with a few men surrounding us.

The screams snapped my mind back into reality, my companions cringed to the sound. I myself wanted to stick my fingers into my ears and stop hearing it. Then, the fickle weather of the island made the rain stop. I looked at myself, I was a mess: my legs were covered with mud and my denim shorts, which had been clear in colour were now dyed a murky brown, my red tank was splashed with mud and bedraggled, I didn't want to know the state of my hair and face.

We heard loud voices not far away, and more soldiers, or whatever they were came to the cages' zone. They examined the cages one by one, mine was one of the furthest, but I was feeling more and more nervous. I saw a man walking towards us, I couldn't see his face properly because it was sunset time and the sun was right behind him.

"Well, what do we have here?" The man wondered more to himself than anything, he had Hispanic accent too, I thought it was Mexican. He rummaged in his pocket and produced a few little cards, I suppose they were our IDs. He shuffled them.

"Peter Keller, Germany; Hiroshi Tanaka, Japan; James Newton, United Kingdom and Sofía Gómez Martín, Spain. Wow! Looks like the fucking United Nations! Don't you think?"

He crouched at the other side of the bars to look at us, his arms propped against his knees. That's when I could see him clearly. He was a rather bulky and tall man, though I had already seen that before. At first, his face looked like a skull: this was because his head was shaved except for a black Mohawk on the top of his head and his eyes had dark circles around them, which made them look like empty sockets. Dark stubble covered his jaw, especially around the chin and mouth. Nevertheless, the most striking feature he had was a long scar carved on his tanned skin, on the left side of his head, cutting one of his thick, black eyebrows and reaching almost to the end of his head. He wore a red tank top like the rest of the men who had taken us and camo trousers with the bracers dangling with the hem tucked under his heavy military boots. Two of his fingers had white tape and on the other hand he had a bandage; who knew how he had got that.

A feral smile appeared on his face, he stuck out his tongue excitedly, like a snake wanting to smell the air. He realised I was looking at him. He straightened himself and walked towards me. He crouched again in front of me, with a crooked smile on his lips.

"Look what we got here, I was beginning to think this cage was a fucking sausage fest!" he stared at me, a demonic glint in his brownish eyes. Something in his gaze gave me the impression that something was not quite right within this man, some…darkness, insanity. It gave me the chills. "You are a fucking mess, honey" he said, reaching through the bars and pulling with his fingers at the soaked top I wore.

I eyed him warily, not daring to move. His smile broadened even more as he snaked his fingers to push my hair out of my face. "Sorry for the accommodations, but we don't have any better rooms left."

"Vaas!" he turned at the man who was coming near us, Vaas' expression was full of wrath.

"Can't you see I'm fucking busy, Marco? Haven't your parents taught you it is rude to interrupt, hmm?" he growled, glaring at the man, who recoiled in fear.

"Sorry boss, but we have problems with one prisoner, he managed to cut the ropes and he had almost opened the cage…"

"Can't you even control the friggin' cages? I will see to it, now fuck off" he said and whistled. He turned to me and smiled, the grimace of rage disappeared, but not from his eyes. "I'm sorry, baby, but I gotta go; you know what they say: if you want something done, you have to do it yourself."

Me and my companions watched him stride away in total silence. He reached a group of men, a man was kneeling in the middle; they had turned on a few lights over the cages, so the scene could be seen. Vaas stood in front of the captive with his hands on his hips, scowling furiously at him. The man seemed to be looking to his face in a defiant manner.

"So you want to fuck with me, huh? Trying to escape under my fucking nose" he took out a pistol out of his holster and put it between the man's eyes "want me to blow your brains out? Because that's what you get when you piss me off!" He roared and raised his arm, then pistol-whipped him in the face, some people in the nearby cages shrieked in fear. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index, as if he was trying to calm himself down. "Shame, I can't kill you yet, your family wouldn't pay so much for your body" the man was lying at his feet, probably knocked out; he kicked him in the stomach and spat.

I inhaled deeply when I realised I had stopped breathing. He began to walk towards my cage again, putting his pistol on the holster again. He crouched in the same place as before. I tried to keep my face as blank and expressionless as possible, it didn't strike me as a good idea showing the fear I felt at the moment. He smiled again, as if he wanted to apologise.

"I'm really sorry at what has happened, I was having a little chat with you, wasn't I? By the way, welcome to Rook Island. Why did you land in MY island?" I stood there, not knowing what to say. He raised an eyebrow, looking irritated "hey, hermana, I asked you a fucking question, I expect you to answer it".

I opened my mouth to speak, but I only croaked a bit, I was hoarse after staying under the rain. I cleared my throat "We were flying towards Australia and the plane ran out of fuel…we had to land here, and…your men took us" I supposed he was their superior. He nodded, smiling slightly "yeah, I imagined something like that. We aren't too much into planes, you know? We are used to luxury yachts and that kind of shit…Anyway, this batch is gonna give a shitload of money, you are quite a lot, I hope the work is worth it" I just looked at him as he spoke matter-of-factly about ransoming us to our families. So we had been captured by pirates…

"Well, gotta go, I would stay a bit more, but I am a busy dude, bye chica" he said, winking at me, he got up and he strolled away. I relaxed when he disappeared; the other men in the cage looked at me in a strange manner, a bit hostilely. I looked at them defiantly.

I studied our surroundings, the cages were in some kind of clearing, it had neither trees nor grass. It was probably stripped of vegetation due to the frequent usage. There were many pirates guarding us, they strolled around the cages with their AK-47 slung over their shoulders, or rattling their machetes against the bamboo bars. They spoke in loud voices and where rather foul-mouthed, though you can't really expect nothing else from a pirate, their swear words were punctuated by the screams of the other captives.

I looked sideways at my companions. To my left was the Japanese, he was a small man, the oldest among us, dressed with a shirt and suit trousers, he must have been some kind of business-man; he looked rather numb, his eyes unfocused. In front of me sat the German man, he must have been around my age, he had the tanned skin of someone who spends their time surfing, maybe that's why he went to Australia; like me, he was looking around the place. The English guy was very young, maybe around eighteen, he had some piercings and was trembling with fear.

I fidgeted in my place, trying to get comfortable, but to no avail, I only made my wrists hurt more. I groaned, desperate; were they going to ransom us? How would my parents manage? Those assholes would probably ask for a lot of money, my parents would have to ask for a loan or something. They would be beside themselves with worry…and, if they paid, how the hell would I go back home? It looked as if that island was isolated from the rest of the world, if the pirates had turned it into their lair…

I felt really tired, and I really wanted to fall asleep and forget everything that had happened so far, but sleep wouldn't come… I watched my companions enviously as they fell asleep. But finally, I ended up closing my eyes.

Something cold and wet hit my whole body, I screamed, shocked. I was soaked again, I looked up and saw Vaas holding an upturned bucket just over my head, he was inside the cage with us.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" he cried in a fake cheery voice. I glared at him, why the fuck did he do that? He pursed his lips and knitted his eyebrows into a scowl. He crouched beside me and grabbed me roughly by the throat. "Don't fucking look at me that way NEVER" he growled, his face very near to mine, I could smell him, a mix between some sweat, tobacco and liquor. I looked into his eyes, trying not to blink. "I…I'm sorry" I croaked, he seemed slightly appeased, the pressure of his fingers around my neck decreased. "I fucking hope so" he grunted, and released me.

"You should thank me, you know, now at least you don't have so much shit on you" he turned away, but he looked at me one the last moment "by the way, red suits you" he said with a wicked smile. I felt my blood creeping up to my face; shit, I didn't want to blush in front of that guy.

When he was about to go out of the cage the boy muttered "asshole" under his breath, Vaas stopped dead in his tracks and turned to him. "What the fuck did you say?" he asked very slowly. The boy shrank on the ground, as if he wished to melt into it; "you say…I am an asshole… don't you, little cocksucker?" He whipped out his pistol "Want a fucking bullet between the eyes, huh? Hey! You fuck! Look at me in the fucking eye! Little fag" the cannon of his gun touched the boy's forehead, who blubbered incoherently.

The pirate was beside himself with anger, his eyes seemed to bore holes into James' skin. "Leave the boy alone, it wasn't his…" the Japanese's words were drowned out by a deafening shot. I looked startled towards the older man, he was dead, a thick stream of blood gushed from a hole in his head. I gasped, some people screamed. Vaas scratched his chin thoughtfully "Shouldn't have killed him…anyway, he wouldn't have been of much use" he said to himself. He looked at other cages, "This is what will happen if someone else defies me!" he roared.

"You two, take the body away" he screamed at two of his men. With that he abandoned the place. They entered and untied the body, then dragged it by its feet, leaving a crimson trail on the mud. Keller and I looked at each other, unable to speak; Newton looked ready to pass out.

Oh, fuck; what the hell am I doing here ¡? I should have arrived to Australia; why did it have to happen? I looked with unease at the blood mixed with the mud. I would have to be very careful with that nutter… what if I had displeased him as much as the Japanese? A shiver ran down my spine, I would have to control myself.

Time passed agonizingly slow, it was horrible being there not being able to move, wasting my time. The sunrays fell upon us mercilessly; we had nothing to shield us from the sun's glare apart from the bamboo bars. I was very thirsty, I wished I could have drunk some of the water the pirate lord had splashed over me. At least my wet clothes kept me fresher, even if they were really uncomfortable. I was hungry too, I hadn't eaten anything since the plane departed, my stomach grumbled. Sometime afterwards a few men untied our hands from the bars, I sighed with relief, examining my wrists, the rope had cut the skin in certain places and they were very sore, but they would heal. They passed three bowls full of a liquid substance through the bars. We threw ourselves to the food. I was some kind of soup, very salty and not very tasty, but it was food after all.

Things were better, now at least I had a full stomach and could sit more comfortably in the cage. I propped my head against the bars and tried to sleep and forget. The raucous voices of the pirates woke me up. I looked up and saw two men walking towards our cage. They opened the door and entered.

"We could start with her" said one of the men, he was shirtless and wore a red bandana around the head, he grinned lewdly with is yellowing teeth. Although he probably towered over me, he was smaller and thinner than his companion, who was a behemoth of a man, he had a red piece of fabric around his mouth and wore aviator sunglasses.

"Yeah, let's get her" said the big man in a deep voice, I couldn't see his expression because his face was covered. I bared my teeth, frightened, I didn't know exactly what they were going to do, but I could imagine it, and I didn't like it. The smaller man grabbed me by the hair and forced me to get up, he shoved me against his companion, he gripped my arms roughly and dragged me outside de cages. They took me outside the ring of cages, near the jungle trees. The big man threw me to the ground, I looked at them with a knot in my stomach.

The smaller man lifted me, I tried to resist, but he just slapped me. He grabbed my arms and kicked my legs apart, so that I would be in that kind of spread-eagled position. I could feel his breath behind my neck. The other man flexed his fingers and hands, making them crack.

"Don't worry, honey, we won't be too harsh" then, unexpectedly he balled his hand into a fist and hit my mouth. My head snapped back, I screamed in shock and pain. He slapped me hard and then backhanded me across the face. I spat some blood into the ground, why were they doing this? I had done nothing wrong…I glared at the man, wishing I could hit him back.

He laughed at my expression, I spat at his face with rage. He punched me in the stomach in return, I would have doubled in half if it hadn't been for the other man. "I think this bitch hasn't had enough, maybe we could have some more fun with her". "I dunno" said the other "Vaas said we couldn't fuck them", I shivered, they wanted to rape me. "He doesn't have to know" said the big man shrugging himself.

He grabbed the hem of my shorts and took them down, he forced me to lift one foot to put them away. The other one began to bite my neck viciously, I groaned in disgust. The big man cupped my crotch with one of his strong hands. "Asshole!" I shrieked "you fucking…" he slapped me again, then he took out a knife and sliced the straps of my panties, leaving me exposed, he took them to his nose and sniffed deeply, "I will keep them as a souvenir" he added malevolently. Then he cut the front of my tank top and pushed my bra up, he grunted at the sight of my breasts; "dude, you should see her tits, they are fucking awesome." He began to fondle them and pinch my nipples with his calloused hands, I groaned in outrage. The other man began to grind his pelvis against my butt, I could feel the bulge in his pants.

"Hold her wrists, I want to get a grab too" said the other one hoarsely, the big one got hold of my wrists and held them over my head, I had to stay almost on my tiptoes. The man behind me grabbed my breasts and twisted them painfully, I moaned in pain, his hands descended to my hips, and he pressed my buttocks against his crotch, while he rubbed his erection up and down. I wanted to vomit; he kept holding me with one hand and slid the other between my legs.

"Wow, bald like baby's bottom, I love it that way" he exclaimed. He rubbed his fingers up and down the outside of my cleft, pulling at the flesh with his fingers. I hissed, trying to shake him off me, he slapped my thighs.

"What the fuck is going on here?!" roared a familiar voice, the two men released me, I lost balance and fell to the ground. I saw a pair of military boots coming towards us. I raised my eyes and saw Vaas, I could have felt almost relieved if it hadn't been for the expression in his face, he looked daggers at the other two man, seething with rage. "I told you…no! I ordered you not to fuck the women! I fucking told you and you disobeyed ME!" he knocked his chest with both hands as he said it. In his rage, his eyes were so open that they looked ready to pop out.

"Sorry, Vaas, but the bitch..." stammered the big man. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he roared "I don't give a fuck. Did you think I would never know? Did you really fucking think that?" he took out a long knife and put it against the big man's neck. The man seemed terrified, even though he was bigger than Vaas, the other one recoiled slightly. "Marco, Ben; come get this two fucks, I will take care of them later" hissed Vaas, baring his teeth menacingly. Two men came and took those two, pointing their weapons at their backs.

I stood motionless in the ground, half naked, my heart seemed about to explode. Now I could feel the pain of their beating, my face felt on fire and I had a dull pain on my stomach. Someone crouched beside me, it was Vaas. He still looked angry, but not as much as before. I slipped my bra into place, I didn't feel like showing my tits to everyone. "I'm sorry for that", he said and took my chin in his hand, examining my face with interest. "They will regret it. Now, dress yourself and I will take you back to the cage", I didn't trust him, but better him than those other two.

The tank was ruined, I would have to wear it like this; at least I had my bra. My shorts were twisted in the ground, hooked around my ankle, I slipped them on as well as I could. When I finally stood up Vaas caught my arm, firmly but not roughly. and guided me towards my cage, I let him take me there.

We entered the cage zone, people stared at us, especially at me, I owed it to my dishevelled state, and the probably darkening bruises on my face. "What the fuck are you staring at, huh?" growled Vaas.

He opened the door of my cage, my other companions looked startled and frightened, he pushed me slightly inside by the shoulder. He closed the door behind me. I saw him stalk away by the corner of my eye. I sat in my usual place, leaning against the bars, I pressed my fingers against my eyes. "Are you ok?" asked a male voice from inside the cage. I opened the cage, it was the Keller guy.

"More or less, could be worse, though" I flinched thinking how the thing would have ended if Vaas hadn't appeared. "Why did they took you out?" he asked, "I don't know, they started to hit me and they decided to try to rape me". I wished he wouldn't speak more, I just wanted to forget.

Then two more men came towards our cage. I looked at them warily, were they coming for me? They opened the cage but didn't even look at me, they went straight for Newton. He screamed and resisted, but they punched him in the mouth so he would shut up; were they going to beat us all for no reason? I heard some screams far away, but they were rather usual in the camp. Keller was very pale and sweaty, he knew he was next.

After a while the soldiers came with Newton shuffling his feet, one of his eyes was closed and his left cheek had a nasty cut. They threw him to the ground and went straight for Keller, he tried to kick one of them in the groin, one smashed his foot against Keller's jaw. They dragged him outside.

I wished all this was a dream, that I could wake up at any moment and find myself at home, safe and sound. But the cruel truth was that this was real, that I would have to go through this ordeal. Hopefully my parents would pay the ransom, and I would be able to go back. But, it was a very dim hope, I really didn't see any way of escaping this.

After a while they brought Keller again, his nose looked broken and it bled profusely, he looked half knocked out. They shoved him into the cage and he fell to the ground. When the pirates had disappeared I crawled to him and examined him. His nose kept bleeding, I had to staunch it somehow. I looked at my ruined tank and took it off, crumpled it and pressed it carefully against his nose. I opened his eyes carefully, to see whether he was conscious or not, I moved a finger in front of him, he followed it; I supposed he was getting back. "What…" his voice sounded croaky; "you passed out, looks like they beat you hard" I answered. He propped himself against an elbow "Ow, my fucking head, those fucking bastards" he said with a pronounced German accent.

"You should rest, sit and keep your face down" he did as I told him. I came back to my place and sat. He looked at me, frowning "what happened to your shirt?", "you're holding it". He took it from his nose and looked at it, "I could use mine if you want", I scoffed "it is ruined, let's give it some use." I closed my eyes, my head was pounding painfully. I tried to forget the moans and whimpers from the other cages, the screams and the voices of the pirates.

They were taking more people out of their cages, most of them resisted, fought or pleaded, others just sobbed, resigned. Night came with its shadows, we were defeated in our cages, weak, thirsty and hungry. I needed to go to the bathroom, but I wasn't willing to ask the guards for permission, they would probably hit me and tell me to do it in the cage. Finally, I realised it was the only option; the best thing would be to do it where the Japanese had been, I wouldn't soil my mates' space and the soil was slightly inclined, so the urine was liable to go out of the cage.

There was still blood in that spot, I remembered how Vaas had shot the poor man, I wrinkled my nose in disgust before crouching and putting my pants down. I sighed in relief, then I felt the sting of a slap on my buttocks. I turned, full of anger, a pirate had sneaked up to me and taken advantage of my situation; he grinned at my expression, then left chuckling.

When I finished I retreated to my corner, drawing distractedly on the ground. The pirates looked in a good mood, maybe because they had had some fun with the prisoners. Had they tried to rape more women? Probably yes, they were violent and bored soldiers who only wished to destroy and have their way with everything. I heard a noise and lifted my head, Keller was crawling toward his usual place. "Has the bleeding stopped?" I asked, he nodded slightly. His nose looked broken and the bruises were darkening.

"Thanks for the shirt", he said and he threw it at me, I caught it. Not only was it torn and stained with mud, now it had big splatters of blood on it. I decided to put it on as if it was a vest, at least the bamboo bars wouldn't dig against the bare skin of my back. Newton looked half asleep, he probably didn't want to talk.

We sat there for hours, with nothing more interesting to do besides looking at the other cages and at the soldiers. Night came and they turned on the lights; I hoped against hope that they would bring us some more food, but it never came. I was tired, even though I had been sitting there most of the day. I took off my ruined top and bundled into some kind of pillow, then curled into a foetal position in the ground and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2- Cold

I woke up in the morning, everything was as usual, pirates walking by the cages with their guns and miserable people inside the cages, dirty and tired. They brought us some food sooner than yesterday, I wondered why. It was just a bowl of stale rice, but it was something, they also gave us some water. We sat there for a long while but, at some point, a crowd of pirates came to the cages and began to take people out; it wasn’t long before the captives began to scream and resist. Three men walked towards our cage, entered and forced us to our feet, they dragged us outside; one of them pinched one of my breasts while they tied our hands behind our backs. Their pushed us forth with the tip of their guns, Keller and I looked at each other with fear in our eyes, Newton looked too far gone.   
While we were walking something caught my eye. On one side of the trail some improvised gallows had been built. I recognised the two corpses dangling in their nooses; the pirates who had tried to rape me. Their faces appeared darker; the smaller man’s face was contracted in agony, and the big man’s neck looked twice as long as before. They swayed silently in the air, like sinister puppets. He had punished them; and then, a part of me felt a strange and disturbing pleasure, they deserved it.   
They took us out of the camp and loaded us up into a truck; we were crammed there together, silent. We were quite a few, what had they in store for us? Were they going to kill us and bury us in some unmarked mass grave? I tried to take those gruesome thoughts out of my head, but it was difficult.   
We were driven through the jungle for two whole hours before we stopped, my legs were numb from lack of use. We jumped off the truck and they guided us over a dusty trail. Then we came to what would have been a beautiful cove if it hadn’t been for the pirates’ shanties and tents. We marched down a steep slope and then entered some kind of cave. The place had a rusty smell, dirty; some pirates were putting drugs into plastic bags. We turned the corner and Vaas was there, he looked in a good mood.  
“Well, good afternoon to all of you,” he greeted, we stood there in a tense silence, he frowned. “When someone greets you, he expects you to greet him back. Come on, say good afternoon,” he said in a harsher tone.   
Some mutinous, scattered “good afternoon” echoed in the dark cave. “Oh, that’s fucking disappointing. Anyway, to business, you two take ten of them to the cages, and you three come to the other room with the other ten. Let’s see if we can speed things up.”  
The two pirates forced those who were in the back of the group to go with them. Unfortunately, I was in the group that stayed: Keller, a young woman with a toddler whom I hadn’t noticed before, a businessman with a muddied suit, other three guys near my own age, a middle-aged woman and two teenage girls. They pushed us into a dimly lit room.  
“Sit down” they commanded. We fell to the ground, silently, fearing what was to come, whatever it was. Vaas came toward us, he was smiling, though there was something quite disturbing in the way he did it.   
“Well, welcome to Pirate Cove. I think you are wondering why we are here, and I’m pleased to tell you that today we’re going to record your ransom videos, you know, so your families know you are here, and that kind of stuff. I see my men have put some colour in your face; sorry about the inconvenience, but families pay sooner if their loved ones are a little bit battered up.” He talked in the impersonal and polite way of a flight attendant, though his smile was rather unsettling.   
“I strongly advise you to cooperate, because I can be really fucking nasty when I’m pissed off, so…don’t do anything you would regret later,” his tone darkened, some of the captives shivered or looked at the ground.   
“Let’s start with…” -he pointed at us alternatively- “you” he said to one of the teenagers. Her face streamed with tears when one of the guards dragged her to a chair in the centre of the room. Beside it was a table with braces on it, and a little wheeled table full of what looked like vicious, sharp and rusty chirurgical devices, I imagined what they were for.   
“What is your name, chica?” he asked, trying to soothe her.   
“Angela Johnson,” she sobbed, he petted her face with the back of his finger.  
“Shhh, everything is gonna be ok, just do as I say,” he said gently. It was like watching a wolf trying to calm down a rabbit.   
“Write your parents’ address here,” he gave her a scrap of paper and a pencil. She did it and gave him the piece of paper. “Ok, now I will record the video. Tell your parents they have to send 500.000 dollars to an account that will appear on the video, and that if there is no money in two weeks…we will kill you,” at this the girl cried harder and louder. 500.000 dollars? I felt my heart sink, it was a lot of money, my parents wouldn’t be able to pay. I felt ready to faint.   
“Yeah, tears, that’s it,” he said with a vicious expression, but keeping his tone gentle. “Tell them how you came here, but don’t talk for too long,” he picked up a little digital camera from a chair.   
“Three, two, one, action!” he said. The girl stood there like a statue. “Come on, honey, say something to your dad and mom.”  
“Mommy, Daddy,” she choked.  
“Yes, well done,” he encouraged, while he held the camera to his eye and prowled around the girl.   
“I…I’ve been k-k-kidnapped. These men will kill me if you don’t pay a ransom of…” her voice trailed off.   
“500.000 dollars, say it, little girl.”  
“500.000 dollars to the number that appears on the video, you have to send it before fourteen days. Please Mom, Please Dad, I love you. I wanna go home,” she broke down into hysterical sobs.   
A little beep sounded, I supposed he had turned the camera off. “Well done, honey, well done. Go back with the others.”  
She got up, still sobbing tearfully. She sat down beside her friend, whom Vaas called next. The process repeated itself with the other girl, who cried silently during the video. Keller told Vaas to “go fuck himself” and earned himself a hard punch in the mouth that knocked out two of his teeth. He obeyed Vaas’ orders after that, his mouth was covered in blood. Keller shuffled back to the group and dropped to the ground, his shoulders hunched forwards. Vaas walked toward the group again, he looked at us while he lit a cigarette, the little ember glowed in the dim room.   
His eyes fell on the mother with her child, who pressed the little girl harder against her chest. A wolfish smile appeared on the pirate’s mouth. He walked to her and crouched. His smile grew even wider when the woman began to tremble with fear.  
“Hi, you have a very beautiful baby girl, you know?” he said gently, but his face was twisted into a crooked smile. The mother hugged her daughter even harder, making her burst into tears.   
“Poor little thing, give her to me, I’ll calm her down,” the mother shook her head. Vaas glowered at her. “Hey, if you don’t give me the fucking baby I will put a bullet through her head,” he growled.  
The woman cried with her daughter and held her in front of Vaas, who threw away the half-consumed cigarette and took the baby carefully. He stood upright with the little girl on one arm.   
“See your mommy there?” He asked the little girl, “she loves you very much and she will do everything I say.”   
The baby began to wail again, she wanted to go back to her mom; Vaas’ expression darkened. Would he kill the little baby just for crying?   
“Shhhhh, come on, don’t cry, I will give you a little toy,” Afterwards, he took his pistol out of his holster and showed it to the baby. The baby grabbed the pistol with both hands, making her mother cry even louder. “Don’t worry, I have the safety on,” he tried to reassure her. The little girl tried to put the muzzle into her mouth to explore it. “Tut, tut, don’t suck on that, God knows where it has been.” he chided, putting the pistol back into his holster.  
“Please, don’t hurt her, I will do everything you want, just don’t hurt her,” sobbed the mother.   
“Hey, you suckers, see that? How nice everything would be if you cooperated like her,” he said towards the rest of us; my companions lowered their gaze or tried to hide in the shadows. I felt as if someone had stabbed me in the stomach and was twisting the knife inside; how dared he? He was a cruel, psychopathic murderer who threatened a mother with killing her baby.   
“Ok, you sit on the chair and I will do the rest, don’t worry for the baby, we will take care of her,” he looked around the room until his eyes fell upon me. I looked at him, he was up to something that involved me. He smiled slightly and pointed at me with his fingers, ordering me to get up with a movement of his free hand.   
“You, come here and take the baby” I stood up, my legs were numb after all the time I had been sitting on the floor. “Keep her quiet, for fucks sake,” he said when the baby started weeping again; I took the baby carefully from his arms. “Now sit in front of the mother, but not too near, I need space so I can move around.”  
I rocked on the spot, trying to soothe the baby, she quieted down until she was just hiccupping. I sat where Vaas had told me, the mother looked full of fear at her daughter, I looked at her apologetically; I didn’t want to do it, but the pirate would kill me otherwise.   
“Ok, your baby will be with that beautiful girl from there until we finish. She will have to keep the little one silent, because if she cries…” he slid a finger across his throat, the mother whimpered. I kept rocking the baby, praying she would fall asleep, but her mother was sobbing hard, and the baby perceived her nervousness, she fidgeted in my arms.   
“Tell the baby’s dad and her granny that you are here and that they have to pay 500.000 dollars, 400.000 for you and 100.000 for the baby; that if they don’t we will kill you and all that shit,” the mother nodded, trembling as she did it, she looked ready to vomit.   
Vaas recorded her ransom video, the mother sobbed while she talked. But she was coherent enough, everything for the sake of the baby, who was entertained pulling my hair. It hurt a bit, but better that than having her killed.   
The mother was a nervous wreck when Vaas finally turned off the camera. I looked at him, wanting to know if I should give her the baby. He made a gesture for me to get up. The mother hugged her child and walked to her place silently. I was about to follow her when I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Vaas.  
“Hey, not so fucking fast, chica; it’s your turn, sit down,” I sat on that rickety chair, looking at him warily. He looked at me intently; a greenish gleam caught my eye. He wore some kind of greenish stone dangling from a leather cord around his neck. He crouched in front of me and took my torn top between his fingers.   
“You look like shit, hermana; pity they had to ruin it, red looked great on you.” I felt terribly exposed, I only had my bra to cover the upper part of my body, and he was too near, I could feel the heat from his body. “What about those blood stains?” he asked.  
“One of my cage companions was bleeding through the nose, so I gave it to him to keep the blood from flowing so much,” I answered quietly, he grunted in acquiescence. He stood up and looked at me with his hand on his hips.  
“Your name was…” I opened my mouth to tell him, but he didn’t even let start. “No, no, no, no; don’t tell me, it’s on the tip of my tongue.”   
He paced up and down, knocking the side of his head with his fist, his eyes closed tight in concentration. “It was something with an S, like Spain” he said to himself. “Oh, now I remember, was it Sofía?” I nodded.   
“By the way Sofía, did you see the gallows at the camp?” he asked, hitting his fist against his other palm, as if he had suddenly remembered it.   
“Yes…I saw them…” I answered, remembering those men dangling from the ropes. “  
Don’t you have anything to say…like, thanks Vaas?” he said, crouching next to my face, looking straight into my eyes.   
“Thanks Vaas,” I muttered, I looked away, remembering what those men had tried to do with me and felt the rage boiling up inside me. He caught my chin and lifted my face, and frowned thoughtfully. Then, he straightened himself up and gave me a scrap of paper and a gnawed and battered pencil. I scribbled down my parents address and handed it to the pirate, he studied it with interest.  
“Ok, your ransom is 300.000 dollars, they have to send it to the account and all that shit,” so, that was it, I had to act for a ransom video, when I could already be in Australia worrying just about the paperwork.  
What would my parents think when they saw me? I could only imagine my appearance: dirty and tangled hair, bruised and swollen face, a torn top and, on top of it, covered in blood. They would be dead with worry, would they be able to call the police or get some help? There was a raging storm of questions inside my head.  
I came back to reality when the pirate turned on the camera. I felt the blood draining from my face, I licked my lips, they were dry and chapped. How should I start? I gripped the edges of the chair, the lens was fixed on me, and Vaas behind it.   
“Mom, dad…I’m sorry,” I blurted out. “My plane had to land on this island because of the fuel…and the pirates took us,” I paused for breath.   
“They want a ransom of 300…300…300.000 dollars within two weeks, or they will kill me,” I could imagine my mother fainting when she heard those words. “You have to send them to the number account that appears on the screen.”  
“I…I love you,” I tried to speak slowly and clearly so my voice wouldn’t be so shaky.   
Vaas took the camera away from his face and turned off the device. He looked at me for a few seconds, as if he was studying me. I stood there as still as a statue.   
“Well, that’s it; I would have liked more emotion, you know, some tears and sobs; they are usually very effective with the families. However, having your tank torn open and a bruised face might be even more useful.”   
“Can I go back to my place?” I asked in a polite tone, trying not to sound brusque or demanding.  
“Yes, you have my permission” he said with a big smile on his face. I retreated to my place; I realised he enjoyed doing this, filming the videos; did he like seeing people suffering so much? Probably, otherwise he wouldn’t be a pirate and a kidnapper.   
Vaas followed me and chose the businessman as the next one. I became lost in thought and what was beyond me turned hazy and distant. I wished this was just a bad nightmare, I prayed I could pinch my arm and wake up in my bed. The middle aged woman pleaded to her family to rescue her, one of the young men tried to spit at Vaas, who kicked him in the groin in punishment.   
The pirate lord lit another cigarette when he was finished, took a long drag while he looked at us; his eyes lingered on me for a moment. A strange sensation coursed through my body, I looked back at him, my five senses sharpened. He bared his white teeth in some kind of cruel smile, I tried to repress a shiver, but I didn’t take my eyes away from his.   
He turned away from us; I realised that my muscles were taut, as if I was ready to spring. They ordered us to stand up and pushed us out of the room. I was able to breath with more ease when we left the room. They forced the other group to enter into the room, they looked tired and full of dread.   
We went to other room, there were some cages, this time made of metal and crowned with barbed wire. We entered into them in pairs, as they were a lot smaller than the ones at the camp. They put me there with the guy that had been kicked by Vaas; he looked dizzy and didn’t look like wanting to talk. I preferred it this way, what was the point in getting friendly with someone I would probably never see again?  
The guards sat on a battered couch with their weapons aiming at us, leering at us and making “witty” remarks like: “we wouldn’t be so bored if we could take those hoes out of there and have some fun with them,” or “look at the cocksucker with the suit, he’s gonna puke, ha ha!!”  
Time crept by and we were still there, some of my companions lay on their cages, their eyes unfocused, others kept rocking themselves back and forth. This was hell on earth, we were the sinners condemned to suffer, the pirates the demons, and Vaas was the devil himself. My cage mate had begun to mutter profanities to himself, insulting the pirate lord.   
“That motherfucking son of a bitch, I will fucking kill him and kick his balls off, fucking cocksucker…” I stopped paying attention to his whispers, they were giving me a headache. I leaned against the cold bars and examined my hands. They were dirty, and under my nails there was a reddish-black substance, probably a mixture of blood and mud; I still had yellowing bruises around my wrists from the ropes.   
I felt hungry again, the pirates had brought some food for them, but not for us. We stared at them with a ravenous expression in our eyes. If we had the means, if we had the weapons and the courage we could overcome them so easily, put them into these cages and make them suffer like us. However, the harrowing truth was that we were the prisoners, and there was no possible escape, or so it seemed.   
They opened the cages a long time afterwards, my mate and I left the cages, our limbs numb and sore from the bars. We emerged from the room at the same time as the others, did we look as defeated and weak as them?   
The sun blinded me for a moment when we finally abandoned the cave, the pirates lazed around, played cards or cleaned their weapons. We trudged up the slope and climbed into the trucks as well as we could, I sat on a far corner and hugged my knees, at least I was far from our guards. I didn’t feel like being raped or fondled by one of those assholes, maybe the gallows weren’t too big a deterrent for them. After an hour or so of being driven by earthy roads in the jungle we reached the camp. “Home, sweet home,” I thought with a strange and wicked pleasure.   
This time we changed cages, I had to share it with the woman with the baby and an old man, from the other group. He looked weary and he had a black eye, we sat there in silence, looking at each other with curiosity and mistrust at the same time.   
“You held my baby while he was making the video,” said the mother.  
“Yes,” I answered quietly.   
“Thanks for keeping Anne quiet, that psycho would have killed her if she had cried, I’m sure of it,” she said, she grew pale when she remembered it.   
“You don’t have to thank me,” I replied, a bit embarrassed.   
“You were from Spain, weren’t you?” she asked.  
“Yeah, I was going to study for a year in Australia…” I replied, leaning against the bars, the baby was asleep in her mother’s arms,   
“I’m from England, I was travelling to New Zealand to meet with my husband, we decided to move to his country after Anne was born…oh my God, he must be so worried…I was supposed to meet him today at the airport,” she suddenly burst into tears.   
I stood there awkwardly, I felt pity for her, but I didn’t know what to do, I had no idea about how to comfort her. I felt very hopeless myself, I didn’t see any way out of this nightmare. The old man reacted for the first time and patted her in the knee, he looked sad and resigned.   
We didn’t talk after that, each one deep in their musings. What would happen with me? Would my parents be able to pay all that money? If not…I could picture myself kneeling on the ground while Vaas shot me in the head, end of the story. He was a madman and a fiend, pleading for my life would be of no use. I dug my nails into my hands and gritted my teeth.   
I didn’t want to die, and I would do everything that was in my hand to survive; but that pirate didn’t look like a man you could reason with, he was someone who wanted to have his way with everything, no matter how.   
It was late in the afternoon, we had been for a long while in the cave; the pirates strolled between the bars, making coarse jokes and laughing raucously at us. I realised they were like hyenas, prowling in search of carrion, an easy prey to benefit from. We were the dying deer bleeding in the ground, weak and defenceless, watching our fate getting nearer and nearer.   
I stretched myself on the ground, keeping my side against the bars. I needed to move, do something; I missed running in the morning and doing every day activities like tidying up my room or even washing the dishes. I looked at the clear blue sky sliced by the bamboo bars; if I ever get home I will have a cool tan, I thought. I smiled wryly.   
I fidgeted, trying to find a comfortable position, I was getting even dirtier, did it really matter? I already stank, I needed a shower urgently. I was uncomfortable, I had to go to the bathroom, not just for peeing. I didn’t want to do it in the cage, what if I called one of the guards and convinced him of letting me out for a moment?   
I looked thoughtfully at the guards, there was a boy even younger than me, maybe that would be the easiest one to sway. He was a tall black guy, not as bulky as his companions, his muscles were more wiry and compact, he also wore camo pants and a red T-shirt with a skull. I prepared myself, if I didn’t convince him he would probably hit me or something.  
“Excuse me” he turned to me, as if surprised by my politeness. “I have to go to the bathroom and I don’t want to leave all the stink here…could you take me out for a moment?”  
“Why the fuck would I do something like that? Shut the fuck up, bitch,” he spat with a deep Somalian accent and began to turn away.   
“Oh, come on…” I said coyly, I tried to smile at him and look flirty; the sensible part of my mind was yelling at me for being so stupid. “I have to go now, if I do it here it will stink for you too…with all this heat. I won’t do anything, I promise, you can tie me up and everything.”  
He ogled brazenly at my breasts, his mouth half open. Good, I had found a hornball; what if he tried to force me when I was out? He grunted and opened the padlock that closed the cage.   
I stood up, he grabbed me roughly by the arm and pulled me out of the cage. Then, he tied my hands behind my back with a length of duct tape.   
“Don’t want any fucking games, or I’ll beat the shit out of you, understood, bitch?” he said while he fondled my breasts with the hand that didn’t hold his rifle. I restrained myself from insulting him and trying to kick in the shins. He pushed me with the tip of his gun and slid his other hand over my buttocks.   
I began to walk out of the circle of cages, with that creep behind me, touching me all the time. We walked for a good two minutes, at least I could move a bit, even with my hands tied and that sucker close behind me.   
“You can do it here” he said, grabbing me to make me stop. “Get over with it” he said slapping my thigh.   
“Do you expect me to do it with my pants on, or what?” I snapped, more and more irritated. “Calm down, Sofía” I thought. “I mean, you could untie me so I could put them down…”  
He clicked his tongue, annoyed. “No fucking way I’m gonna do that, I’ll put them down myself,” he said, and he stood in front of me. I stiffened when I felt his hands fumbling with my zip, he smiled at me teasingly.  
“Don’t you want anything besides of taking a shit?” he asked while he let my shorts fall with a dull thud to the ground.   
“No, not right now, but thanks” I replied coldly. I squatted and looked at him.  
“Can I have some…intimacy?” he rolled his eyes and turned around.  
I relieved myself, still a bit uncomfortable at having the pirate so near. I looked longingly at the jungle that spread itself before me; if I hadn’t my hands tied…and if that guy didn’t have a gun… I stood up, I felt my blood rushing to my face. I was almost naked, with my torn top and my pants down.  
“Can you…” he grunted, irritated, and put my shorts into place, visibly embarrassed.  
“Are you finished?” he glared at me.   
“Yeah, I suppose so.”  
“Sure? Wanna miss this?” he said grabbing his crotch with a mocking grin.   
“Yeah, pretty sure,” he pushed me forwards and I began to walk to the cages. “Back to the fold,” I thought, the people inside the cages looked at me with glassy eyes, some of them looked like living dead, their mouths half open, distraught. They were dirty, as dirty as me, or even more; their skin had bruises from having been beaten by the pirates. Some of them had a bad sunburn after spending so much time under the sun.   
The pirate cut away the tape with a knife when we were near my cage, he opened the door and pushed me inside. He turned away without saying anything else. My companions said nothing, I just sat in my usual place.   
It was getting dark, de camp was more silent than usual, almost subdued. Maybe the other captives were tired after the ransom videos; maybe they had realised it was pointless to complain, cry or scream. I scratched a sting in my leg, I had several on my back, but I had been wise enough not to scratch them. They were probably from mosquitoes or maybe fleas, they had dogs at the camp, I had heard them bark in the night.   
The mother and the child had fallen asleep, however, the old man looked as awake as I. We sat there in silence, there was nothing to say, no chit-chat to shroud the reality that lay before us. I slumped against the bars and looked at the inky sky. There were no clouds or moon, and we couldn’t see the stars because of the lamps that hung over the cages.   
I began to doze off with my back against the bars. I curled on the ground and fell asleep, fell into forgetfulness.


	3. Chapter 3- Mud

**Hi everyone :D**

**So, here I have the third chapter of this story. It took me some time to write it, and I hope it was worth the time.**

**I feel really grateful to those who have read this fanfic. Thanks a lot to those who left kudos on the previous chapers.**

**This chapter contains rather graphic violence and smut language.**

**I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.**

**Again, thank you very much for reading this story. I hope you like how it is developing. Finally, as always, if you have any reviews or critics, feel free to post ;)**

* * *

I felt voices and paces around me; I sat up hastily, looking around me with bleary eyes. Our cage was surrounded by pirates, holding their weapons and looking at us in silence. I looked at a figure on the ground, it was Vaas. He was sitting cross-legged, his chin propped against his hand, which held his gun. He had it cocked towards me. "What the hell?" I thought, still confused.

"Good morning, it was time you woke up," I looked sideways discreetly, not wanting him to think I was ignoring him. The woman was hugging tightly her child against herself; the old man was as pale as death, pressing his back against the bars as if he wanted to go through them.

I looked back at the man sitting in front of me; I didn't know what to do, couldn't bring myself to say anything. Why were they there? Had he found out that I had come out of the cage yesterday? I felt a dull pain in the pit of my stomach.

"Take the women out of the cage," he barked to two of his men; I stood up when they did it; I wouldn't let them drag me out this time. The woman resisted, she crawled into a corner with the baby against her, holding her for dear life. One of the men tried to pry her arms away from the baby.

"Hey, blondie, leave the baby with the old geezer," commanded Vaas, aiming his gun at her.

Crying, she did as she was told and we came out of the cage.

"Sit," he said, pointing at the space in front of him. Obediently, we sat some distance away from him. He put back his gun into his belt and took out a matchbox and a package of Marlboro cigarettes. He lit the cigarette with a match and took a drag. He didn't take his eyes away from us. Then our eyes met, I didn't like the way he looked at me, his lips curled into a cunning smile. I stood there, as if transfixed by his gaze, my body felt numb; I felt fear.

"Cigarette?" he offered us the package, I didn't trust so much friendliness…it was clear he wanted something in exchange. What it was, I didn't know if I wanted to discover it. The other woman and I said nothing; he raised an eyebrow and put the cigarettes back into one of his pockets.

"Ok, then, no fucking cigarettes for you," he said with a sigh. He turned to one of his subordinates. "You, bring them their food," The man scampered away hastily.

"I wonder how he makes a big guy like him run like that do his bidding," I thought, we sat there in silence, with the pirate still looking at us.

"I know you are wondering why I have taken you out of your cages, but…all good things to those who wait. Must be hot there, isn't it?" The other woman looked at the ground; she was as clueless as to what to do as I. The pirate's expression darkened visibly, his nostrils flared in anger and scowled at her.

"Hey, blondie, look at me when I fucking talk to you," she looked up and her lip trembled. "That's fucking better, remember what I can you to your daughter," he pointed at the cage with his hand mimicking a pistol and imitated the sound of a gun. I saw how the young mother cringed at the sound; Vaas observed her reaction like a predator in front of his prey.

Suddenly, the pirate who had left reappeared holding a bowl in each hand. He put them on the ground in front of us; it had a mouth-watering smell. It made me even more suspicious; why would they feed us with something that nice instead of the lousy food we had been given the other days? It was a big bowl of spiced rice with vegetables and meat, probably something the pirates usually ate.

"What are you waiting for? Eat," commanded the pirate, pushing the bowl towards me. "It's not poisoned you know? Besides, why the fuck would I do it? There are things way more funny than poison…" It was really unnerving hearing someone talk about murder in such an offhand way, as if it was something really commonplace. Though, now that I come to think of it, it was something  _normal_ for that man.

I took little pinch of rice with some meat and put it gingerly in my mouth; it was rather spicy, but it was good. I looked from the corner of my eye at the other woman, she had taken the bowl in her hands and was sniffing tentatively. Nevertheless, I still felt suspicion gnawing my insides; I swallowed with some difficulty.

"Come on, eat fast; we gotta go soon," he said. I nearly choked on the mouthful I was chewing, go where? Where were they taking us? I saw my companion –I didn't remember her name, though I had heard it during the ransom video- hastily cramming a big fistful of rice into her mouth. I tried to eat faster, not wanting to provoke the pirate any further. He sat there deep in his musings, looking at us while toying with one of the braided leather bracelets around his wrists.

"Ok, that's fucking enough, stand up," he said when we had our bowls nearly empty. We left the bowls on the ground and got on our feet, we waited there; I could feel a knot of fear in my stomach. "Take off your clothes, everything."

We were frozen in our place, "what the hell?" I thought. "Please, not again…" Were they going to rape us, torture us, what? Why else would he want us to do that? I clenched my fists when I remembered the hands of those two pirates all over me.

"YOU FUCKING DEAF?" he roared, and reality trapped me again. "You take off those fucking clothes or my men will do it, would you like that, huh?" the mother began to fumble with the buttons of her shirt, tears rolling down her face.

Resigned, I shrugged my shoulders to let my torn top fall to the ground. Did I have to take my trainers too? I supposed I would have to; I crouched and untied the laces and took them with my socks. I straightened myself up and, swallowing hard, I reached behind my back to unclasp my bra. Vaas was staring at me; there was a strange look in his eyes, like…hunger. He smiled wickedly when my bra fell. I took a deep breath and hooked my fingers under the waistband of my shorts and put them down. I stepped out of them.

The other pirates wolf-whistled and stared at us lecherously. Their lord whipped around to face them, he looked daggers at them. "Hey, you cocksuckers; don't be so fucking rude, these are two beautiful ladies, not whores from Bad Town, understood?" they turned their eyes to the ground. I took a glance towards the other woman; she was trying to cover herself with her hands, one against her crotch and the other trying to hide her breasts. There was no point in covering myself; they had already seen everything there was to see. And I hated to look vulnerable before those men.

"Ok, follow me," said the pirate lord, he began to walk towards the main camp area. The blond woman and I looked at each other, both filled with desperation and uncertainty. Were they taking us to the camp to whore us out? I imagined those cruel, dirty men queuing for a few minutes of sex. I bit my lower lip until I felt the metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

Vaas strode forwards on and on, making us walk beside the cages; the other prisoners watched our strange parade: the pirate lord at the front, the other woman and I, totally naked, and three of his minions at the end. I felt the heat of embarrassment in my face; we were in front of Keller's and Newton's cage, they gawked at us.

I could hear the bustling noises of the camp, it must be plagued with pirates. I could feel my breasts bouncing slightly with every step, and the little stones in the trail hurt my bare feet. We entered the main area; there was a big space among the shanties and huts from the pirates. It was crowded with men who leered at us and whistled, screaming full of excitement.

Their boss came toward us and slid his arms around hers and my shoulders; he kept us there, as if he was a rock star and us his two groupies. His scent hit me harder, although he didn't smell as bad as the other day, though there was still a lingering whiff of tobacco, sweat and gunpowder; I could also feel the heat of his arm over my shoulders and neck. He pushed us forward; the crowd opened to let us inside a circle in the middle of the mob.

The pirates began to talk dirty to us, I heard one yell: "eh guapa, te voy a poner una naranja en la boca y te voy a comer el chocho hasta que salga zumo!"[1] I felt grateful that the blond woman didn't understand it, she was a bundle of nerves; I could see her trembling under Vaas' arm.

We came to a halt at the brink of the circle. It was a great circular area and, for some reason, the ground was extremely muddy, as if they had poured litres and litres of water over it. I felt myself slip on the slick surface; Vaas grabbed my arm and held me against him so I wouldn't fall. "How nice of him," I thought bitterly.

I looked around myself, we were surrounded by pirates; I felt my mouth go dry and a twisting sensation inside my bowels. What were they going to do? A pirate came to us holding a megaphone, the pirate lord let us go and picked it.

"Morning, gents," he said through the megaphone with an excited and cruel smile on his face. "I have a little surprise for you, cocksuckers. You see, I have noticed that you have been a bit demoralized these days; I know, I fucking know, this island is so damn boring…BUT" he said raising his arm with his index pointing upwards "I have the solution. See these ladies here? Pretty, aren't they?" he slid his free hand around my shoulders again, pulling me close to him; the other pirates laughed and whistled appreciatively. I felt my body stiffening under his touch.

"Well, they're gonna entertain us a bit," he said, releasing me again. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," I thought "he's going to give us to them, how else are we to entertain them?" my breath had turned shallow and my heart beat wildly, as if it was about to burst.

"These two girls will fight today in the mud…like in TV, but better," the men cheered and stamped their feet against the ground, like bulls preparing to stampede. "The first one to fall and not react for three whole seconds will be the loser. By the way, speaking of losing and winning in this little game I have planned…I'm not going to reward triumph, I will punish mediocrity and defeat," he looked intently at the crowd, as if he was some kind of preacher in front of his congregation. "So, the girl who loses…well, you can have her tonight and have some fun with her."

The nausea filled up my stomach, rushing up towards my mouth. I could feel cold sweat running down my face. So, that was it…if I lost I would be raped by the whole camp. Those leering men, I could see them gloating at us, probably planning what they would do to one of us that night. I looked at the other woman; she stood there, her arms hanging limply by her sides, so horror-struck she had forgotten her shyness.

"So, I'll introduce these beautiful women to you before we let them start," he said, pointing at us alternatively with his free hand. He turned towards the young mother and slid an arm behind her back, she tried to recoil, but he just gripped her arm and glowered at her.

"Your name?" he asked her and put the loudspeaker before her mouth.

"Sarah Brown" she answered in a thin voice.

"Age?" he asked again through the megaphone.

"Twenty-five," the crowd cheered.

"Where are you from?"

"From the United Kingdom" it occurred to me that there was a stark contrast between her milky white skin and Vaas' tan.

Then, Vaas came towards me; I stiffened when he grasped my shoulder and pulled me against him. "Same as her, honey," he said, and put the megaphone before.

"Sofía Gómez Martín, twenty-two years, from Spain," I said in a hoarse voice, he let me go and faced the crowd.

"Before the fight starts I remind you that you can place your bets with Big Paul. So, both of you," he told us "go to opposite sides of the ring, I'll count to three and then you fight."

Sarah and I looked at each other with eyes full of terror. It was as if I was really seeing her for the first time. She had pale blond hair, pale like her skin; she would have been pretty if she was cleaner and didn't look so…dead. Her body was tall and thin, rather taller than me, the stretch-marks and rather soft stomach showed that she had gone through childbirth. We walked backwards to the edges of the circle, the pirates screamed and tried to reach for us.

"HEEEYY! DO NOT TOUCH THEM YET!" he roared. "Let's fucking start: one…two…THREE." He fired his gun to the air, I cringed to the sound. We stared at each other fearfully, not wanting to be the one to start. I began to tread carefully sideways, keeping myself on the rim of the circle, never showing her my back. She began to do the same, watching my every movement.

Both of us jumped at the sound of another shot, we whipped around and saw Vaas holding his pistol in the air. He looked at us, he didn't seem pleased, not at all.

"If you don't start fighting…you'll fucking regret it. Wanna make me bring your little girl and put a bullet into her head?" he growled, Sarah bit her lip, looking at me all the time. Afterwards, she threw herself at me.

I didn't even have time to react properly. The fall left me winded for a few seconds, I could feel the icy and wet ground under my back. Sarah was over me, trying to regain control over herself; gasping for breath. I was so shocked I almost didn't feel the hard slap she gave me. The crowd cheered and booed. When I finally began to focus, I writhed to get her off me; she was on all fours over me. Her legs were half open, I kneed her hard on the crotch; she opened her mouth wide and her eyes bulged for a second. I took advantage of her distraction and pushed her off me; I got up and dashed for the other side of the circle.

The pirates laughed and shook their fist in the air, "They love it," I thought, enraged. Sarah stood up; she was covered in mud, her face contorted in fear and fury.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" she snarled, I bared my teeth at her. I had never felt so…desperate and angry; I would do anything to avoid being raped by those monsters and, if I had to fight, so be it. She rushed towards me again, but I was prepared for it.

I braced myself and pushed her away when she was near enough. She nearly lost her balance; I darted to her, grabbed her by the shoulders and head-butted her in the face. It felt as if I had cracked my skull open but, with some sick satisfaction, I heard how the bones of her nose broke loudly. She dropped to the ground, half-unconscious; I kicked her stomach twice.

"WHO'S THE FUCKING BITCH NOW, YOU CUNT!?" I shrieked, and I spat at her. However, that moment something gripped my ankle and pulled, making me lose my footing. I felt the earth against my skin again and the pain in my head and back. She crawled on me one more time and punched me hard on the right cheekbone, she used her other fist to hit my jaw. I felt the blood flooding my mouth when I bit my tongue.

The men cat-called and booed at me, I turned my head and saw the woman's arm next to me. Blinded with rage I bit down hard, until I heard her howl in pain, until I felt her blood mixing with mine in my mouth. I pushed her and rolled over so I was on top; I balled my fist and smashed it viciously against her mouth. She spat some blood, and then she raised the arm that wasn't pinned under me and scratched my neck; she dug her nails under my skin, tearing my flesh apart. I yelped and got away from her.

I beheld the blood running from my neck to my chest, mixing with the brownish film of mud that covered me. The mob was screaming for more blood, they enjoyed our suffering. I saw how Sarah got with some difficulty on her feet and looked at me with pure loathing in her eyes.

"YOU WHORE! YOU ARE JUST TRYING TO SAVE YOUR OWN FUCKING NECK! THEY WANT TO KILL MY DAUGHTER!" she hollered, shaking uncontrollably. The pirates began to whistle and boo, they were getting bored.

I felt something cold and wet splashing over my back, I turned around. One of the men had decided to empty his bottle of beer over me, I was about to leap on him when something hard collided against me, sending me reeling to the ground.

It was that bitch again, she looked totally out of herself; blood flowed abundantly from her nose and mouth, dripping over my chest. She showed me her teeth in a demented smile, her bloodshot eyes fixed on me. She struck me with her fist on the side of the head, near the ear; I screamed in pain, though it was covered by the ringing in my ears. She delivered another blow, this time to my mouth; I felt my lip splitting.

Would I lose? I did see myself lying on the ground, defeated; not only by that woman, but by Vaas, by the rest of the pirates, by life itself. I had to survive; no matter how; now I could hear the screams of those beasts, wanting her to finish me off.

For some unknown reason, my hand grabbed a fistful of mud; I raised my arm and smashed it between her eyes. She yelped in confusion; full of rage, I pushed the mud into her eyes with both hands. Her arms tried to reach her own face, I got rid of her and got on top, my legs straddling her stomach. I pinned her arms down with my knees and punched her hard on the mouth. I backhanded her with the other hand, I smirked when she squealed in pain; I did it again, and again, and again.

The sounds from the crowd began to sound distant and muffled, as if I was somewhere else. I did not think, did not feel, as if my mind was filled with some venomous red haze. I only had one thing in mind: finishing her off. She had stopped screaming and moving, she just lay there while I smashed my hands against her flesh repeatedly.

Something encircled my waist and lifted me away from the woman. I squirmed in its grasp, trying to free myself. "YOU LET ME GO, SON OF A BITCH!" I roared, the arms that held me grew tighter.

"Calm the fuck down, chica," hissed a familiar voice next to my ear. I saw Vaas by the corner of the eye. My breath was ragged and my heart pumped wildly; part of me still wanted to keep beating that woman into a bloody pulp. I made an effort to stop resisting, what was the point? By the looks of it, I had already won. Now I looked at what I had done, and a bitter gulp of bile rose up from my stomach. Did I really do that? Sarah was unconscious, or so I hoped.

Vaas released me; I stood there with trembling knees. What had I done? He crouched next to Sarah and poked her in the face with a finger; then he opened one of her eyelids. He stood up with a fierce smile on his mouth. He strode over to me and took my arm, then raised it into the air.

"Looks like we have a winner!" he roared; the pirates cheered and stamped their feet. He let go of my arm and raised his hands to ask for silence. "Unfortunately, the loser is a little…mmm…let's say indisposed," the pirates complained loudly. "SHUT UP!" he barked, "you will have her when she is conscious and has her wounds fixed up, now fuck off!" the men began to leave.

"Hey, you two take that one to the doc," he ordered to a pair of men. One took Sarah by the arms and other from the legs and they lifted her off the ground, I gazed at that miserable spectacle. "I'm sorry" I thought, "I'm so, so sorry."

I snapped out of my musings when I felt someone grabbing my arm, it was Vaas again. He examined me with interest. "That doesn't look good, hermana. It will become infected."

He pulled from me, I followed him meekly; I was still very stupefied from the fight and the result. Before I was feeling very numb, but now my body hurt all over, especially my face. I plodded through the mud behind him until we came to a table with a few bottles over it.

"This will do for now," he said and picked up an open bottle half-full of some transparent liquid. The pungent smell of the spirited liquor hit my nose; what was he going to do? He held me firmly by the scruff of the neck.

"Now, I need you to be very still, ok?" he tipped the contents over my forehead; I felt a searing pain near the hairline. I screamed in pain and tried to get away from him. "I told you not to fucking move," he growled and gripped me harder.

He tangled his hand in my hair and pulled down so I would expose my neck. He poured more alcohol over the scratches on my neck, I yelped in pain and gritted my teeth, trying not to move. He let go of my hair when he finished; there was still a bit of liquid in the bottle.

"Drink the rest, it will help with the pain," he offered me the bottle. I took it and sniffed it again; it looked like vodka or some other white spirit. "The fuck are you waiting for?" he asked with impatience.

I drank a bit, not taking my eyes of him; the moment the liquid filled my mouth I felt it burning the place where I had bitten my tongue. I choked and coughed, I saw him raise an eyebrow; I covered my mouth so I wouldn't spit it over him and forced myself to swallow. I made a disgusted grimace and pressed the liquid against my lips again. I downed the remainder in one gulp; then placed the bottle on the table. Now I felt a bit dizzy, but at least I was forgetting the pain in my limbs and face.

"Fine, I'll take you to your cage," he gripped my arm again and pulled from me. The pirates that passed by looked at us; some leered at me and others stared with resentment; I supposed because I had spoiled their fun with Sarah. We entered the cage zone; the other prisoners gazed at me, dirty and bloody.

My clothes were on the ground in front of the cage, as well as Sarah's. Maybe I could ask Vaas to let me take them; at least I wouldn't be naked. I steeled myself, how would he react? Would he rage at me for trying?

"Vaas..." he turned to me with a questioning look on this face, I faltered for a moment. "My clothes are right there, could I pick them?" He frowned deeply.

"I have many fucking things more interesting than babysitting you, puta," he snarled; I tried to go away from him, but he gripped me harder. "What's the fucking point anyway; whole camp has seen you naked."

I gulped; he pulled me nearer to him, his burning gaze piercing into mine. He clenched his jaw in concentration and frowned even more. Now he looked wilder than ever, his scar creased in anger and his arms and top caked in mud since he had held me after the fight. "Ok, take your clothes and get your ass into that cage before I lose my patience and beat the shit out of you," he spat.

I scrambled to the little pile of dirty clothes on the ground and gathered them into a bundle. I came back and followed him to the cage. "You are welcome, by the way," he said in a surly way; I entered the cage.

"Thank you," I said with a slight tinge of defiance in my voice.

I sat on the ground, the old man was half-asleep with the baby on his lap. He opened one eye when he saw me, but he quickly drew his eyes away when he noticed that I was naked. I slipped my clothes on with some difficulty; the clay over me had turned into a crust. I was almost totally covered in it: my chest, my back, my legs, even my hair. And, to make matters worse, I could feel the sticky mix of alcohol and blood over my face and neck.

I felt nauseated and could taste that horrible vodka, was it made from rat poison or what? I lay on my back; the alcohol had numbed my pain, but I was exhausted. I was wounded, dirty and weak, but I had won; I wouldn't be gang-raped by those beasts, at least not yet. I didn't trust the pirate lord, he looked fickle and moody enough to change his mind at any time.

That man, I tightened my jaw and sunk my fingers into the earth in anger. That twisted and sick man; he didn't seem to have enough with kidnapping and ransoming people, he had to torture them for his own entertainment. Where was Sarah right now? She had been taken so her wounds could be cured before she was handed over to the pirates. I hoped they wouldn't bring her here, I didn't think I could bring myself to look her.

A pang of guilt shook my body when I remembered how I had hit her. I had lost all control over myself, totally; never in my whole life had I experienced such rage, wrath, chaos. Had it been survival instinct or something else, something... darker and more primeval even? My eyes were brimming with tears, now I only felt remorse and pain. Somewhere in my brain a little voice was trying to convince me that I had no choice, that it was her or me.

It was stifling hot in that horrible cage, I wished I could sleep; however, the camp was too noisy, or maybe I was too tired to sleep. Droplets of sweat ran down the sides of my forehead; I could consider myself lucky if my wounds didn't get infected with all the filth and the flies. I sat with my back against the bars.

The harsh voices of two pirates startled me, I turned my head towards the sound. They were a few metres away, their backs turned from my cage.

"Saw the fight, dude?" one asked.

"Nah, pity; heard it was brutal, they say those two bitches gave a good hiding to each other!" he answered with a guffaw.

"Yeah, the small Spanish one beat the English whore silly. Vaas had to take the girl away from the other so she wouldn't make mincemeat with her face," he belched loudly. "A fucking shame, looks like we aren't gonna have any fun with her tonight."

"Pssst, why would I want to shag a bitch that can barely move? Give me a whore from Bad Town and I'd give her a good hard fucking," said the other one in a light tone.

"I wouldn't have minded getting some pussy tonight, long time since I went to the brothel. Vaas could have given us the other cunt, though. It's her fault we couldn't have the other one."

"Didn't Bongo and Kid get hanged for trying to rape her? And now he lets us fuck the other, has no fucking sense."

"Yeah, think so. Vaas saw them feeling her up and got really pissed off. You know Vaas, one moment he tells you to go right, and the next moment he says you have to go left; and if you don't…"

I silently agreed with the pirate, Vaas totally looked that kind of person. He had to be really ruthless and cruel to instil fear in men as tough as these ones; he was unpredictable, too. I heard some noise from my cage; the old man stirred, he was awake. He looked at me and searched with his eyes for Sarah.

"Where is the mother?" he mumbled, he stared at me for a few seconds.

"They took her to the doctor," I muttered.

"What happened? Why did they take you? You are covered in blood…" he looked mildly alarmed, as if nothing could really surprise him right now.

"They took us to camp…and made us fight among us. They said the one who lost would be…given to the whole camp tonight."

"Who won, then?" I swallowed hard.

"Me," I could not bear to hold his gaze "she was badly hurt, they sent her to the doctor," my eyes itched, everything was getting blurry. "I did it to her," I sobbed, tears rolling down my face. "I hit her to save myself," it felt I couldn't breathe enough, as if I had had my lungs punctured and couldn't fill them.

"There's not much you could have done. These…monsters, for want of a better word, they would have killed both of you if you hadn't fought. You were stronger or luckier than her and you won, and it's normal that you wanted to save yourself," I looked into his eyes; they were full of compassion and pity.

"But I'll never forgive myself for what I did; I won't be able to look her in the face after this."

"Then you will have to live with it or get over it. I know what is like to feel guilty over things you have done when you had no other choice," he paused for a moment. "I served in Vietnam and…the main order from commanders those days was "kill anything that moves"; and so we did, not only Vietcong soldiers, but farmers, women and even children."

There was a faraway look in his eyes, as if he wasn't really there. "We didn't do it to survive, but because they told us…even though some of my mates enjoyed it in some twisted way."

We stood in silence for a few seconds.

"When I was fighting I lost all control; I was over Sarah and began to hit her in the face. It was as if… as if someone else was using my body and I was just a spectator," I remembered my fists colliding against her face again and again, and that blind rage that filled me. The old man smiled ruefully.

"Yes, when you find yourself trapped in a nightmare like this the animal you have within replaces the person you are, your mind, your morals…the world is so chaotic and violent that the rules from your world don't apply anymore."

The baby began to cry, she wanted her mother back. The old man tried to rock her; I looked at them.

"Give her to me, you have held her long enough," it was the least I could do for her mother now that she wasn't here.

I stood up and took the baby, she wailed in my arms. I sat again and began to rock her, the noise subsided and she rested on my lap, making soft cooing noises. She looked at me with curiosity and raised an arm to touch my face. I stopped her, my face was the last thing that needed to be touched right now; the effect of the alcohol was beginning to wear off. I could feel the wound in my forehead and the scratches stinging; and there was a numb pain in the parts where Sarah had hit me.

For some reason, having the baby in my arms relaxed me; I rested her head on the crook of my arm so she went to sleep. I closed my eyes and let myself be distracted by feeling her breathing in and out. I began to doze off, and fell asleep after a while.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Author's note: a very crude remark in Spanish, apparently, it has no equivalent in English. Literal translation: "hey pretty, I'm gonna put an orange in your mouth and then I'll lick your pussy until it makes juice." (Yeah, I know it's really rude, but that's the point)


	4. Chapter 4- Water

**Hi, once again :)**

**Thanks a lot to all those who are reading the fanfic and giving kudos. An also to Natsumii for her comment on the third.**

**WARNING, this chapter contains EXPLICIT sexual content and smut language.**

****I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.** **

****So, as always, I hope you enjoy this new submission. And don't be shy! Post any reviews or critics if you feel like doing it ;D** **

* * *

I opened my eyes; it was daylight. I sat up gingerly, my body still hurt from yesterday's beating; I grimaced in discomfort when my neck cracked loudly. I stretched my arms above my head, groaning when my muscles grew taut. Where was the baby? I looked around wildly.

"Morning," said the old man, I looked at him, he was holding the baby. I sighed in relief.

"How is she?" I asked.

"She has been fussy this morning, I think she's hungry. Yesterday I gave her some of my soup, but she needs proper food and her mum."

"Yes", guilt had me between its clutches again.

"What about you? Are you feeling alright?" he looked rather worried.

"My body hurts as if a whole building had fallen over me but…I suppose it could be worse," I said with a sad smile.

A slight smile crossed the old man's lips, just for a second, as if he had forgotten how to smile. Suddenly, his expression changed; it was a mixture between fear and hostility. I turned around to see what he was looking at.

It was Vaas, he was standing at the other side of the cage; he must have crept upon us, as I hadn't heard him coming. A crooked smile curled his lips.

"Had a good sleep, hermana?" he asked in a mocking polite manner.

"Yeah, thanks," I answered coolly.

"Fucking fine, now, move your ass and get out," he opened the padlocked door. I stood up and eyed him suspiciously, he was up to something.

"Where are you taking her? Hasn't she had enough?" asked the old man gruffly. His courage amazed me, he already knew Vaas and his moods.

"Do you really care, old man? Mind your fucking business before I slice you open," snarled the pirate lord. The old man frowned but said nothing else. Vaas glowered at him; he held me by the nape of the hair and pushed me out of the cage. Then he held my chin and examined my face.

"Now, you REALLY look like shit, sweetheart," he drawled. I stood there while he turned my face this way and that. "And you smell like shit, too," he said, wrinkling his nose.

"Look who's talking, the king of hygiene," I thought snidely.

"Well, we can put an end to that" he grabbed me again by the scruff of the neck and pushed me in front of him. This forced me to walk faster than I would have done in these conditions. I struggled to keep up with his pace.

We entered the camp, it was mainly composed by huts made of bamboo, metal scraps and dried palm leaves. Others were rusty old trailers used in construction sites. Next to a makeshift pigsty sat four pirates playing dice over an upturned bucket. On the other side three pirates drank beers under a frayed tent of canvas. Some of them passed next to us, nodding when they saw Vaas. They looked at me with curiosity, as if they rarely saw women in camp, which probably was true. A man was gutting a pig that hung upside down from the beam of some kind of stable. There were metal barrels and boxes everywhere. I could smell decaying wood, smoke, gasoline and spicy food, among other less pleasant things.

Then he guided me through a different trail that turned right. We climbed a rather steep slope and stopped in front of some kind of warehouse. Vaas released my neck and turned to me.

"You try to escape," he slid a finger across his neck "capito?" I nodded.

He fished out a set of keys from one of his pockets and unlocked the door. He opened it and made a gesture with his head to prompt me to come in. The place was dark; he flicked on the switch on the wall. I gasped in surprise, the place was crammed with suitcases of all sizes and colours. There were handbags, belt pouches and rucksacks hanging from ropes.

"Ok, search for your suitcase or whatever you had, I think the plane's luggage was over there," he pointed right with his finger.

I looked there and scanned with my eyes in search of my big blue suitcase. It was on top of the pile; I walked towards it and stood on my tiptoes to try and catch it. I tried to grab one of the corners, but I couldn't reach it. I heard an audible sigh behind me and Vaas pushed me away. He picked the suitcase with no problem and dropped it to the ground.

"Get whatever the fuck you need to wash yourself: soap, towel, clean clothes. Whatever, but do it fast." I opened my suitcase and rummaged among the contents. I grabbed a rather bulky toilet bag where I had everything I needed and a towel; then I picked some clothes by hazard, along with some clean underwear and socks.

I stood up. He pushed me in front of him again. I held my things in front of me, trying not to soil them with dirt. Where was he taking me? Why did I have to take those things? I didn't think it was another fight, I wouldn't have needed washing, and he wouldn't mind how dirty I was if he was going to kill me.

We followed the trail we had left before, under a big canvas sat a few men with metal plates piled with food; I supposed it was some kind of canteen. One of them whistled at me, Vaas threw him a dirty look; the pirate bowed his head apologetically.

We passed by countless shanties, the camp was huge and crammed with pirates. There was a high slope in front of us that overlooked the whole place. A shanty sat on top of it, on the sides of the slope there were two makeshift towers with armed pirates in them. We climbed some kind of goat trail until we reached the top. My feet hurt like hell and I felt tired.

The hut was bigger than others we had seen at camp, and looked better built. It had thatched roof made from palm trees and the walls were made of wooden planks and metal sheets; the door was metallic and rusty, and the window was barred. We walked to the back of the house, there were two booths nearby, I supposed the furthest one was an outside toilet.

The door creaked when Vaas opened the door of the other booth; it was a makeshift shower with a hose and a few planks on the ground. In another case I would have thought it twice before entering in such a shower, but right now it looked pure luxury.

I looked at Vaas quizzically, did I have to go in? He scratched the back of his neck for a moment, as if he was thinking.

"Better not here, you're too fucking dirty, you'll leave a mess; let's go to the river," he grabbed my arm and pushed me away from the shower. He made me walk down the slope again, though it was a different trail.

We entered the main camp again and went through a maze of huts until we reached a more open area. A few red jeeps were parked there. The camp was surrounded with metal walls too, as high as a man. There was some kind of door there so cars could go through. The sentries that stood guard there nodded when they saw Vaas.

The jungle was right there, only broken by the scar of a brownish road. The rest was an exuberant green, as bright as an emerald under the blue cloudless sky. I could hear thousands of birds warbling and chirping. Vaas turned me around roughly so we were face to face.

"Now, listen to me, chica. I'm gonna leave something clear for you before we go to the river, see this?" he took out his pistol and leaned it against my shoulder, so the muzzle brushed my neck, I felt the cold black metal heavy on my skin. "There's a bullet with your name on it if you try to do any funny stuff. You try to run away…that will be the last thing you feel."

His dark eyes were fixed into mine, his eyebrows knit; teeth half-bared threateningly. It was the first time I saw him so near and so clearly. The dark circles around his eyes looked more pronounced, just like the stubble around his mouth. He had other scars on his face, though not as conspicuous as the one that crossed his head. There was a very thin line that crossed his left cheek starting from the nose. He had a little wound on the lower lip, maybe from a fight.

We stood there in a tense silence for a few seconds.

"Is it understood? Said it out loud," he commanded through clenched teeth.

"Understood," I answered grudgingly. He grabbed my shoulder and pushed me onwards until we left the trail. It had been a long time since I had stepped on grass, even before I had left Spain.

It was almost knee high and full of weeds, there were different kinds of big-leafed plants, though there were some with flowers, specially white, red and yellow. We stepped between two big boulders covered in moss. Now we were under the trees, the sun was covered by a thick leafy canopy, leaving the jungle dimly lit compared with the camp. The air was very humid and I could smell decaying plants and the intoxicating scents from the plants. It was rather hot there, even though the trees gave shade.

I had to tread with care on the irregular ground; Vaas seemed used to it, making loud crunching noises with his boots every time he gave a step. I pushed a vine before I got tangled with it; the jungle was beautiful, though. I would have liked even better if had been free to go wherever I wanted without that psycho practically breathing down my neck.

I could hear rushing water not too far away. The trees were beginning to thin down, the sun beams were slashed by the foliage, but there was more light. There was a river there, rocky and rather shallow; it fell from a nearby little waterfall.

I slid down a pile of rocks and watched our surroundings, a few big and colourful birds left the branches in which they were perched. squawking in annoyance. Vaas slid after me and looked around.

"What the fuck are you waiting for?" he pushed me towards the river, I sighed in annoyance; I was getting tired of his little pushes.

"Why have you brought me here?" I exploded, he looked just as surprised as me at my nerve; I guessed he didn't expect that question. He looked ready to strike at me.

"I don't think you would let me clean myself just for kindness and then put me back into the cage. Are you going to whore me out or something like that?"

He frowned, he looked…confused, and annoyed, which didn't usually bode well.

"Why the fuck would I do that, hmmm?" he grunted. "Your little friend will take care of that as soon as the doctor says she's cured. And you will be joining her soon if you don't DO AS I FUCKING SAY!" he roared, so near that our noses were a hair's breadth from each other.

I bit my tongue, trying not to retort.

"Fine, then I'll wash myself," I said, trying to keep my temper under control. I walked away from him and put my things on a rock near the shore.

"Remember what happens if you run," he waved his pistol in the air.

Seeing the water reminded me of how thirsty I was. I practically dropped to my knees and sunk my hands into the water, it was deliciously cold. I washed the dirt away and made a cup with them; I raised the water to my dry and cracked lips. It was like heaven, nothing had ever tasted so good in my whole life. I drank until I quenched my thirst; I supposed now I would have to get into the water.

I looked sideways, Vaas was sitting on the ground with his back against a tree, his gun was on his lap while he lit a cigar with a match. He raised his gaze and looked straight at me.

I turned my back again, but I could still feel his eyes on me. I got on my feet and took off my shredded tank. It didn't matter that he had already seen me naked not once, but twice. This time I felt even more…vulnerable; there was no one else, just the two of us. I unclasped my bra and threw it to the ground. I let my pants fall down and took off my trainers and socks with my feet. I looked behind my shoulder again.

The pirate was still on the ground, but he was leaning forward, one of his elbows against his knee and the other holding the cigar. He looked at me up and down with insolence and smiled; it was a really unsettling grin, feral and wicked. He took a long drag from the cigar and exhaled the smoke through his nostrils.

Feeling disturbed, I picked my bag and rummaged quickly through the contents. I fished out my shampoo and a shower gel as well as a comb. I stepped into the water; it was chilly, but I was grateful for it after the sweltering heat. Walking barefoot over the stones was uncomfortable, even if they were rather rounder. I waded into the river until I was knee deep.

"Be careful, chica! There are big crocodiles on the Rook Islands, they could swallow you whole," I looked wildly around me, imagining a pair of open giant jaws rushing to me. "Don't worry, though, they don't come so high upstream," he said with a deep chuckle.

I looked at him again; there was a wide smile on his face. "Asshole," I thought. I turned my back to him again; I didn't like that either, but it was better than having to look at his smug face all the time. I waded until the water reached my hips.

I filled my lungs with air and I plunged into the water, it was crystal clear, I could see some tiny seaweeds and small silvery fish swimming. I came out and held the comb and the gel between my legs while I poured some shampoo on my hand. My long mane had turned into a mass of mud and dirty hair; I rubbed hard trying to make the dirt softer, it stung on my wound, although it would clean it. I rubbed it and put it under the water until it was clean. Then I began to pay attention to my body. The hard scab of mud around my body had almost disappeared with the water; I poured some gel and spread it over my skin.

It had been long since I had felt so well, so clean; I could almost have smiled in contentment. I walked towards the shore again to sit and comb my hair. I tried to ignore Vaas' stare; he was tearing apart the rest of the cigar distractedly.

My hair was tangled in tight knots, I held my hair with one hand and tore mercilessly at the tangles. A few tufts of hair fell into the river, but at least it didn't look like a bird's nest. I leaned to the side to pick my towel.

Then, without warning, I was hauled to my feet with violence. Vaas had grabbed me by the waist and had me pressed against his body. I tried to break away from his vice grip, to no avail. I began to sink my nails into his strong forearm.

"Keep doing that and I'll pull your nails out with a pair of pliers," he hissed. I stood there, panting; my skin was icy cold in contrast with Vaas' heat against my back. I could feel the ridges of his chest on my back and his bristly beard against my head. He held me firmly with one hand while he let the other wander to my breasts, then cupped one of them. I inhaled sharply, my nipples had turned into hard nubs after the water. He pinched it hard, I winced in pain.

"Didn't tell you the other day, but you have some nice jugs, sweetheart," he muttered next to my ear. "No, no, no, no," I thought in desperation, "this can't be happening again."

He touched my other breast and grazed my earlobe with his teeth. I could do nothing but stay there while he explored my body. His hand left my chest and slid down my stomach until it rested on the apex between my legs. He pushed his fingers between them and sunk his nose in my hair.

"Now you smell really well, I'm glad I let you bathe," he mumbled rather huskily. His mouth descended to my neck, on the side that wasn't scratched, and he licked it. I pursed my lips in disgust while he clamped down with his teeth, not hard enough to break the skin.

His fingers had been resting on the outer lips of my vagina while he did this. He slid his index and heart finger between them in a softer way than I expected. I swallowed hard, my jaw tightening and my body as taut as a bowstring.

"Just relax and enjoy it, honey," he whispered. Did he really expect me to enjoy this? His breath was getting ragged too, and I could feel a hard ridge against my lower back. He brushed my clitoris lightly with his fingers; I squirmed uncomfortably, heat rising on my neck and cheeks. He flicked the little bunch of nerves to the sides; I groaned and tried to pry his arm away, he just ignored my feeble attempts.

His thumb replaced his other fingers, which he started to slide into my hole, stretching it. He pressed down with his thumb while his index and heart went deeper. I sucked in breath through my teeth, resigned; I closed my fists. I had never felt so impotent in my whole life; there I was, soaked from the river and totally naked against him.

I could feel the roughness of his top against my back, the side of his face pressed against my head. His hot breath brushed against the strands of my hair; the pungent smell from his cigar that lingered on his skin on my nostrils. He had begun to move his fingers in and out; my body was getting heated and a strange sensation assaulted my loins.

"Are you getting wet for me, baby?" I felt him smile. He moved his fingers faster, they slid inside in and out with more ease. Was I really getting moist from this? Did it mean I liked it? A burning shame flooded my whole body. His forced masturbation was eliciting a response in my body, there was no denying it; I wanted to break free and run away from him. He moved his fingers skilfully inside of me, applying pressure in some places. My body was still tense, but it was different this time.

I tried to stifle a moan that wanted to escape from my lips; I grabbed his forearm for balance. My knees felt weaker and weaker while the sensations between my legs built up. His fingers plunged in and out of me frantically; I panted, my body was about to explode.

It shook me like an earthquake; my whole body spasmed, electricity coursing through my nerves. I threw back my head against his shoulder and groaned in defeat. The sensations began to subside, I slumped myself against the pirate's body. I gasped for breath, I could hear my heart beating against my eardrums.

He chuckled softly as he slid his fingers out of me. He raised them so I could see them; they were glistening with my moisture. More heat rushed to my already sweaty and probably blushed face. I had had an orgasm with HIM touching me; I couldn't believe it, what the hell was wrong with me? He had forced me to have an orgasm.

He pressed the tips of his fingers against my lips. "Clean them," I kept mouth stubbornly shut. His grip around my midriff tightened and his fingers dug into my side. ·"Do it," he commanded again. I opened my mouth slightly, anger filling every cell in my body; he slipped them into my mouth. I felt my own tangy flavour, it was between acid and salty. A part of me really wished to bite his fingers off, but he would probably take my teeth off for that.

"Come on, lick them," he told me with impatience. I pushed my tongue against them, he slid his fingers out. He released me, I spat angrily to the ground; I looked at him sideways, an ample grin on his mouth. He wiped off the saliva on his fingers against my cheek. "Ok, dress yourself, chica," he walked away and sat on the ground again, as if nothing had happened.

I crouched on the ground, yearning to throw one of those big stones against his head. I looked through the bag, I found some plaster. "Thanks, mom," I thought, I would not have thought of taking them myself. Tears stung in my eyes, I wiped them furiously, I wouldn't cry in front of him. I took one of them and stuck it over the wound on my head, the rest of my face still felt rather puffy though it was number thanks to the water; I had no more cuts, and the scratches were too big to cover them with the bands.

I put on the plain black underwear I had brought and some black shorts. The tank was grey and made of some thin fabric; I put my trainers on, picked up my things and stood up.

"I'm ready," I said listlessly. He got to his feet and stretched himself, closing his eyes tightly.

"Now that I was beginning to get comfortable, come on girl, let's go."

I walked in front of him again without him having to say so. We went through the jungle in silence until we emerged under the sun; it blinded me for a second. We entered the camp; the guards looked at us but said nothing.

Doubt still burned inside me; where was I going? What would he do with me now that I was clean? We followed the same trail as before and reached the hill on which stood Vaas' shanty or whatever it was. We climbed up again, he took a key out and unlocked it, the door creaked open ominously.

"Inside, I have to leave," he pushed me inside.

"Why do I have to stay here?" I asked, he looked at me irritated.

"Because I fucking say so, puta," he spat.

"Can't I go back to my cage?" I asked angrily.

"Haven't you guessed? You aren't going back there," he pushed me so hard that I stumbled to the floor. With that, he closed the door; I heard the lock clicking into place.

I stood up clumsily, I got to the door and kicked it in anger. I had never wanted to hit someone so bad, not even during the fight. "Motherfucker," I thought; still fuming, I looked at my surroundings. The place was flooded with light by a single but big barred window. Below it there was a big bed with a rusty headboard; the mattress was rather old and dirty, on it there were some rumpled sheets.

An upturned wooden crate next to it served as some kind of night table, some half empty liquor bottles sat on it. On its left sat an old cupboard with one of its door ajar, revealing some clothes inside it.

Against the opposite wall, next to a stained old fridge, there was a desk littered with pieces of paper, maps, bullets and a laptop. I saw a photo nailed to the wall with a knife; it piqued my curiosity.

I walked to it, it was the photo of a woman, and the knife was nearly piercing her head. She was strikingly and exotically beautiful, with her tanned skin and dark hair, shaved on the sides and twisted into long braids on the top of her head. Her eyes were clear, or so the faded photo suggested. She had some kind of tribal tattoo on her skin, just below her shapely lips. From her ears hung some long pendants and her neck was encircled with metal rings.

For some reason, she looked familiar, something in the cast of her features, or maybe the expression. Why was she there? Was she Vaas' enemy?

I turned around to examine the rest of the room next to the desk there was a rickety and chipped chair. Finally, on the wall nearest to the door there was a big television on another big crate, under it there was a DVD player flanked by a stereo system. On a corner I saw several dvds stacked into piles. I walked next to it and picked one of them, it was  _The Fight Club_ , I raised an eyebrow; at least he had some good taste in movies.

I left it in the place where it was, I didn't think that nutter would appreciate having me rummaging through his things. Apparently, I would have to wait until he came back; though it wasn't something I wasn't particularly looking forward to.

I sat on the bed, I felt the sun on my back drying my wet hair; I felt tired, and hungry. The last thing I had eaten had been the rice with meat before the fight. Hunger had turned into a constant feeling these last days.

Maybe…I could see what there was in the fridge; but, what if Vaas realized I had been stealing from him? "Come on, he won't notice," I sneaked to the fridge, looking to the sides, fearing that he would jump out of some corner.

I opened the fridge. It was full of drinks, but not food; I saw lots of bottles of beer and different liquors, but no food, not even a piece of bread. There was a bottle of water, though. That wouldn't make less hungry, but I would feel more filled up. I unscrewed the cap and took a long swig, it tasted like plastic. The bed creaked under my weight again; I put my head between my hands and rubbed my face.

I needed to sleep, my gaze wandered over the untidy bed. However, what if Vaas found me on HIS bed? He would taunt me in some way or get mad at me for using it. I looked at the ground; it didn't look uncomfortable, it was made of some kind of woven palm leaves. I slid to the ground and curled into a ball.

A loud  _thunk_  wrenched me out of my sleep, I looked at the pair of familiar big boots in front of me. I scrambled to my feet, Vaas chuckled while I rubbed my eyes.

"Enjoyed your nap, chica?" he walked to the table and proceeded to take off his holster. "You looked like a dog, sleeping at the foot of my bed." I bit my tongue so as not to anger him with my answer.

"Asked you a question, answer it," he looked at me testily.

"Yes, I enjoyed my nap, thank you Vaas," I said high and clear, hatred oozing from every syllable. Maybe he didn't perceive it, or decided to ignore it altogether, he went to the crate on which the TV was and squatted.

"That's better; now, be a good girl and fetch me a beer from the fridge," now that he didn't see me I threw him a withering look. I opened the fridge and took what looked like a bottle of beer, though I didn't understand what was written on it. I supposed it was Thai.

"Let's see what we've got here" he said thinking out loud. "Action, horror, comedy, thriller, adventure…porn," he turned towards me and raised his eyebrows suggestively, my face grew hot.

I left the bottle on the crate and sat on the floor, feeling extremely bewildered, what was he doing? He turned the TV on and walked to the bed, he sat and took off his boots and socks. A funky music began to blare out of the stereo.

"Why the fuck are you sitting there?" he asked while he opened the beer with his hand.

"Where else would I sit?" I quipped sullenly.

"Sit next to me," he pointed at the other side of the bed with his chin.

"No, thanks; I'm fine here."

"Get your white ass over here or I'll drag you myself," he growled.

I practically kicked off my trainers and crawled to the place between the wall and him, careful not to even brush him. I looked at the screen, the film rang a bell in my head…could it be… _Superbad?_

I looked at him sideways, he had his back against wall, like me, and the beer was propped against his knee. We stood in silence, I tried to concentrate on the movie, but I couldn't with him next to me.

Yes, it was  _Superbad,_  I could recognize the actors. I flexed my legs so I could put my elbows over them. We watched the movie in silent, except when Vaas chuckled or laughed from time to time.

When a bespectacled and scrawny boy appeared on the screen he whooped loudly. I looked at him by the corner of my eye.

"I love this guy, fucking Mclovin' " he said, pointing the new character.

He gave a raucous laugh when they presented a scene in which that guy followed a hot girl like a creep. He turned to me.

"Why aren't you laughing, chica? Aren't you entertained?" his eyes burnt darkly. I froze in my place.

"Yes, I am…sorry," I stuttered. I forced a little laugh at the next joke, but it didn't feel natural.

We sat there for almost two long hours, I tried to smile or grunt in appreciation when there was something Vaas considered funny. I felt really stupid, but I didn't want to get killed; luckily, it finished. The pirate stretched his arms above his head and cracked his neck.

"Time to sleep," I eyed the ground, it had been comfortable enough during the nap. I began to slide from the bed.

"Hey, guapa, not so fast, stay where you are." He said while he stood on his feet.

"I don't mind sleeping on the ground," I muttered.

"Do you think I'm so fucking stupid? What would stop you from getting the key and escaping or killing me while I sleep, hmm?" he opened the cupboard and took something. A metallic gleam caught my eye; he grabbed my left ankle and put a handcuff around it, then closed the other around the bars of the footboard.

"That should be enough," he turned and began to take the two straps of fabric slung across his shoulder. He emptied his pockets on the desk and then took his tank, I caught a glimpse of his muscled back before I looked away through the window. I could see the dim lights from the other parts of the camp.

I turned again, he only wore a pair of boxers , I noticed some kind of extensive tattoo on his right thigh, running from his underwear to the top of his knee. It was formed by different geometrical patterns forming horizontal, diagonal and vertical bands around the leg; like chevrons, diamond or downward-pointing triangles separated in different bands. It was very intricate, but it looked…tribal and primitive in some sense.

He turned around, I pretended to look somewhere else and lay down. The bed sagged slightly under his weight. I turned so as to lie on my side, with my back to him. He turned the lights off.

 


	5. Chapter 5- Anthill

**Hello there :D, how are you?**

**The fifth chapter.** **Thanks to all those who are following my submissions and reading this fanfic, it means a lot to me, seriously :)**

**This chapter only contains some foul language.**

**I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.**

**So, let's see how Sofía puts up with Vaas, shall we? I hope you enjoy it. As always, you can post any reviews or critics; it would help me to improve my writing style or my characters and their behaviour; also, if you have any ideas for the story, feel free ;)**

* * *

 

 

I was again in the middle of a crowd of pirates, but this time they weren’t normal pirates; they had demon faces: rolling yellow eyes, fanged mouths, big ears and faces contorted into animalistic grimaces. The monsters screeched and howled, cackling with malevolence, trying to grip me with their claws. I looked in front of me; there was another woman, totally naked, like me.

That woman was me. She, I, looked terribly frightened; she sobbed, looking for a way out of the ring. Vaas strode into the pit, he looked at me; his eyes were a dark void that seemed to devour all light.

“Only one of you can come out of this ring, hermana,” he said, pointing the other woman with his finger; then, he walked to me.

“Kill her,” he whispered.

I pounced like a wild beast, jumping on her. We fell and I smashed my fists against her flesh; I sunk my nails into her flesh and shredded her skin. I hit, I struck, I punched countless times, until she was nothing more than a bloody and shapeless mass under my body. I raised my fists in victory while the demons made a chorus of screams and evil laughs.

I woke up covered in cold sweat, when I sat upright something pulled my leg. Where the hell was I? I looked around in confusion. Ah, of course, I was with that madman; I looked towards where he was sleeping. The only thing I could see was his back; he was fast asleep, judging by his deep and slow breathing.

It was strange seeing someone as fearsome as Vaas looking so unprotected. A dark idea crossed my mind…I could kill him, I could wrap the pillow around his head and smother him to death. The sensible part of my mind spoke this time: “What would you do when he wakes up? He is much stronger than you, it’s impossible you could hold him down long enough to kill him.”

Anyway, even if I got rid him I would still be cuffed to the bed, I would have to drag it over to the keys and then escape the camp and make my way into some unknown and dangerous jungle. Feeling extremely downcast, I tried to get back to the position I had been, but it was impossible. The links clinked every time I moved.

The nightmare came back to my mind; why did I fight against myself? The demon faces and Vaas’ eyes, everything had been really disturbing. I remembered the dark pits in the pirate lord’s eyes. “Kill her,” he had said, and so I did.

I tossed and turned; my brain was too occupied reliving the fight from that day, as if it was a looping film. Now she hit me, then I threw her to the ground; now she hit me, then I threw her to the ground. I saw it happen over and over again.

The camp had never been so peaceful; it was a deep contrast with the turmoil in my head. There were no screams, not even the dogs barked. I sat again and looked through the barred window; the only things that broke the darkness were the lamps scattered on the pirate camp, and then the dark jungle.  

I lay down again and curled into a ball, hoping to find again the posture in which I had been resting. The wire of the bra was digging into my side. I shouldn’t have picked that one now that I had to sleep with it, it was very rigid. Maybe I could take it off and sleep without it; I risked a glance at the slumbering pirate. I stood again and slipped off my tank, praying he wouldn’t wake up that moment. After that, I tucked the piece of clothing between the bed and the wall, where I could easily find it.

I put on my tank again and curled into a foetal position again. My back collided against something hard and warm; I jolted as if I had been burned. I looked at him again, feeling as if my heart was going to pop out of my mouth. He just grunted and shifted in his sleep, I sighed in relief. I began to notice the constant sounds around me: the crickets far in the distance, the humming from the fridge and that man’s breath. He didn’t exactly snore, it was more like a loud and deep breath. Finally, my eyelids began to fall again.

Something prodded me in the cheek, I opened my left eye. I saw a finger sinking into my flesh, and then the pirate’s face. I sat bolt upright, he laughed under his breath at my reaction. I stared at him warily, not knowing what to do.

“You should have seen your face,” he said, still chuckling. “You went all pale, like arrowroot mash, really,” he tried to put a straight face again.

“Slept well then, hermana?” he asked, still with a slight smile.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” I mumbled. I tried to move, but the handcuff around my ankle still restrained me. “Thanks for asking,” I added, he had turned from me, busy buckling his belt.

“I’m fucking starving,” he put the tank on; I caught a glimpse of another round tattoo on the right of his chest before he covered it. Then, he studied me for a moment, scratching his goatee pensively. “You could pick something for me to eat, I don’t feel like going myself right now.”

I stared at him in disbelief, was he really going to let me go into the camp to get food by myself, or was it some kind of sick trick? Now that I came to think of it, I was starving too, I felt a dull pain in the pit of my stomach.

He walked to the bed again and took a tiny key from his pocket. He opened the cuff and let it fall against the metal bar.

“What the fuck are you waiting for? GO NOW!” he kicked the bed with his heavy boot for emphasis.

“Shit, shit, shit,” I jumped out of bed and dashed through the open door of the shanty. I had been so worried about avoiding being shot by that maniac that I had forgotten that I was barefooted and braless. My breasts jiggled uncomfortably while I skidded down the slope and the pebbles dug into the soles of my feet. I tripped and I fell down to my knees at the bottom. “Where the fuck is the canteen?” I thought in desperation; I had seen it the day before, I felt positive about it.

I took the trail through which he had taken me, I had never run so fast in my whole life. Now I felt glad for doing sprints after jogging in my free time. The pirates that saw me looked dumbfounded; I must have been an image to behold. I could smell food nearby; there it was, the canvas with the tables underneath.

 I could have laughed for joy, I walked swiftly under it. However, someone grabbed my shoulder, I whipped around to see who it was and probably tell him to fuck off. I recognized the Somali soldier who had taken me out the other day.

“Hey, what is doing such a pretty little thing in a place like this?” he greeted.

“I have no time, your boss wants his breakfast, can’t stop to chat,” I wrenched my arm out of his grasp, too occupied to pay heed to whatever he had to say. There were a few tables full of boxes at the end of the improvised canteen. I walked towards them purposefully, ignoring the pirates’ stares.

The boxes were laden with fruit; I picked a huge mango out of it, hoping he would like it. I sprinted out of the place again without a backwards glance. I reached the top of the hill huffing and puffing, clutching the stich on my side with one hand, the other held the mango. He was waiting for me, sitting on the steps that led to the inside of the shanty.

“Wow, that was fast,” he whistled appreciatively while I handed him the mango, sweat pouring down my face. I dumped heavily to the ground, still gasping for breath. I felt really dizzy; I kept my head down between my fingers while I saw tiny stars dancing in front of me.

I looked up inconspicuously; he had begun to peel the mango with his switchblade. It looked delicious, so ripe that the juice left his forearms covered in juice. He cut a big slice with the blade and put it into his mouth.

“Fuck, that’s so much better,” he said; my mouth was watering heavily, I swallowed. There is nothing worse than being hungry and watching someone enjoying their food. My stomach growled audibly, he looked back at me, his mouth full with fruit. He tried to say something, but I didn’t understand anything. He fought to swallow and sighed.

“What’s the problem, chica?”

I didn’t know if I should tell him; I had the impression he would get mad at me. Nevertheless, if I didn’t tell him I needed to eat, it mattered little if I avoided being shot for asking, for I would die from starvation at some moment.

“It’s just…that I’m really hungry,” I said with a little voice. He looked at me with an unfathomable expression; I waited for his reaction on tenterhooks.

“You should have picked something from the cantina; anyway, take this and let me fucking chill for a while, catch it!” he thrust the slippery mango to me, as if I was a dog. It collided against my hands and I held it just in time. I sunk my teeth into it without further ado; it tasted like heaven on earth, or so it seemed to someone as hungry as I was. It didn’t even matter that the juice was dribbling down my chin, I wolfed it down in the blink of an eye.

He fished a cigarette out of the little package with his teeth and lit it with an amused expression on his face. He turned his gaze away from mine and let his eyes roam over the camp.

I finished the last bite of the mango; I resisted the urge of licking my fingers clean. Now my hands and face felt sticky, and I needed to go to the toilet, I squirmed uncomfortably in my place. I looked at him, what did I have to lose?

“Errrr…Vaas?”  I faltered, he turned to me visibly annoyed.

“What the hell do you want now, hermana, can’t you see I’m relaxing?” he hissed crossly, his eyes locked on mine. I tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“Spit it out,” he said, trying to get a grip on himself. He made an impatient gesture with the hand that held the cigarette.

“Would it be fine if I went to the toilet? I’m about to explode and I’m sticky.” I held his gaze unblinkingly.

“Ok, go then, but don’t get too long,” he leaned against the threshold of the door and closed his eyes.

I got to my feet and hurried towards the back of the shanty, I stopped in front of the outhouse and opened the door. It didn’t stink, it reeked; I wrinkled my nose in pure disgust. When was the last time they had cleaned _that_. I took a few paces away and got behind a tree, I would rather be eaten alive by the mosquitoes than enter there. I relieved myself with a deep breath.

I walked toward the shower to wash my hands, I opened the rusty tap and rubbed my hands with the cold water. When I came out I saw a cracked and weather-stained mirror pane nailed to the wall. I stopped in front of it; a strange young woman looked from it.

My slightly wavy dark ash blond hair was clean, but dishevelled and untidy. I could see the plaster below my hairline, a little hidden by my bangs. My hazel green eyes looked at my reflection intently, underneath there were deep purplish bags from bad sleeping. My usually fine lips were very swollen; besides, the lower one was split in the middle and had another wound on the side. The rest of my face was a motley mixture of colours: there was a big yellowing bruise on my right cheekbone and the skin around it was red; then there was another one on the left side of my jaw, just below a reddish welt on my cheek. Add the wound on my head and the scratches in my neck and we have some twisted modern art picture.

Seeing those wounds reminded me of how I had got them. The blows and the abuse from those two monsters a few days ago; I dug my nails into my thigh, feeling their hands on me all over again. Then, the fight with Sarah; her distorted and bloodied face so clear it almost burnt my eyes. And yesterday, even if he hadn’t hit me, what had done that madman. “Are you getting wet for me, baby?” he whispered huskily beside my ear.

I shuddered, a mixture of fear, hatred, disgust and rage flowing through every cell of my body. I yearned to slam my punch into that stupid mirror and watch it shatter into tiny pieces. I walked away from it, remembering that the psycho had told me not to be gone for too long.

He was still sitting against the threshold, the butt of the cigarette still between his fingers. I sat silently on the same spot as before, waiting for him to move or say something. However, he remained silent, apparently looking into the jungle, like an eagle surveying its territory. I looked at the camp, it was full of movement; pirates walking, sitting, doing everyday chores like ants in an anthill.

He stood up suddenly and flexed his neck, making it crack, he grimaced. He looked at me, as if wondering while I was still there.

“Ok, Flash girl; get inside, got things to do,” he stepped to one side of the door. I got to my feet and entered, my shoulder brushing against his chest in the process; he smiled roguishly when he noticed, I felt my face reddening. He closed the door behind me, I heard the lock.

I sighed, still feeling disgruntled from watching in the mirror. I put my bra on and then I flung myself over the bed. What was I supposed to do right now? At least in the cages I could watch the pirates coming and going, or talk to the other captives if so I desired. I watched at the ceiling; there was a big beam supporting it; the sides were made with sheets of corrugated metal sheets, some thatching had slipped through the cracks, from the beam hung two light bulbs.

My eyes studied the rest of the room in search of something with which I could kill some time. I saw a book under the desk, I got off the bed and crawled to reach it. The covers were extremely faded and worn, as if it had been read many, many times. I could distinguish the title, though: _Cien años de soledad,  A Hundred Years of Solitude_. From Gabriel García Márquez, the Spanish version; it was odd seeing a book in a place like this, like a dog in the tank of an aquarium. I rifled through the yellowing pages carefully.

A book, I couldn’t help but smile, the first true smile since I came to this nightmare; I hadn’t been able to read anything since the plane landed. I sat cross-legged on the bed, with my back to the window. Would the pirate mind? The book was on the floor, probably not. I needed it to escape this place, vanish for a while.

The hours passed swiftly, I had buried myself so deeply in it that I jolted in surprise when I heard the pirate entering the hut. I put the book down guiltily, a knot forming in my throat, and eyed him. He raised his eyebrows, but he didn’t look annoyed or angry.

“Reading?” he asked.

“Yeah…I’m sorry, really; I’m sorry if you didn’t want me to pick it,” I stammered; to my surprise, he laughed under his breath.

“Don’t worry, chica; I’ve read it many times, you can use it,” such a gesture for someone as hardened as him surprised me greatly.

“Thank you,” I said, still looking at him in disbelief.

“It’s fucking late, and I’m hungry; you know what to do, run to the cantina and get something for me, and for you too, I’m not gonna share again,” he sat on the bed. I left the book hastily and put on my trainers, not willing to commit the same mistake twice.

I scampered down the slope and ran among the pirates, it would be better get back fast. However, to my dismay, I saw there was an extense queue of pirates wanting to get their food too. One of the pirates on the tables nudged his friend with the elbow and pointed at me unashamedly; the other one looked at me and mumbled something to his friend.

I really hoped they wouldn’t get too near to me, maybe it wasn’t a good idea being right there right now. Someone tapped me on the shoulder, I turned around feeling wariness growing inside me. It was the black guy from before.

“Hi there, you weren’t too nice when I saw you before,” he said with a smile; I watched at him full of suspicion.

“Sorry for that, but I was too worried with Vaas being pissed off at me and whatnot,” I replied.

“Ah, then it’s true,” he said, nodding to himself as if he had suddenly understood something.

“What is true?” I inquired.

“That you’re his bitch; well, he didn’t exactly say that yesterday. He said something like if anyone dared touch you or hurt you he would personally rip their balls off and feed them to the dogs.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him.” I smiled wryly. We advanced a little, the pirates kept looking at me; now I understood why they didn’t get near. Well, the better for me.

“By the way, I saw you during the fight. It was…wow, at first I thought you were going to lose, but then, bam! You beat that bitch’s ass.  I would’ve been sorry if you had lost; I had a bet on you…” he trailed off. The fight and the dream assaulted my mind; “thanks for reminding me, asshole,” I thought bitterly.

We waited the rest of the queue in silence; I didn’t really want to talk with him. The queue advanced more and more; I shifted my weight to the other foot, Vaas would be getting impatient. Finally, it was my time to get food. I got two metal dishes and forks from a big pile and presented them to a big cooker in front of a huge pot.

“Well, well, well, what are you doing here, little girl?” he said in a very deep voice and smiling lewdly.

“I’m here to get your boss’ food, so, if you please…” I tried to keep my voice as nonchalant as possible, but fear burnt inside.

“Why the fuck would he send you? I’m giving you nothing, bitch!” he retorted. What would I do now? Return to that maniac empty-handed? No way, he would kill me before I could tell him what had happened.

“Hey, Pedro; she’s telling the truth, Vaas has sent her. She’s with him,” replied the Somali’s voice behind me. The cooker eyed me warily, he looked confused.

“Paul!!!!! You saw Vaas yesterday, is this fucker right?” yelled the cooker towards a nearby table.

“Yeah, dude. She’s the boss’ bitch, he told us yesterday,” replied Paul, the cooker looked at me.

“Anyway, why two dishes?” he asked brusquely.

“One is for me, the other for him,” he grunted and began to fill the plates, one of them was only half full, I supposed it was the one for me. I looked at him coolly and left.

“Thanks,” I said looking towards the young soldier.

I walked fast, trying not to throw the rice with fish to the ground. I reached the top of the hill; the pirate lord was waiting for me sitting on the steps.

“What the fuck took you so long?” he spat when he saw me.

“Sorry, the queue was long and the cooker didn’t believe you had sent me,” I explained, I handed him his plate, he took it with a slight frown.

“Whatever, get me a beer, I will need something to down this shit,” I left the dish with my food on the ground and sidestepped him to enter. I took a beer and gave it to him, hoping to be able to eat the food before it got too cold.

I sat on the same spot as breakfast; another reminder of civilization: a fork. The last days I had had to eat with my fingers, so it was a welcomed change. The food wasn’t bad at all, rather spicy though. I looked around, the pirates on the towers looked towards the jungle; why would they? They seemed to control the whole place.

I finished eating, leaving the dish almost totally clean; who knew when I would eat decent food again. I heard metal clattering behind me, the pirate had finished too. I saw him taking a last swig from the beer, and then he threw the empty bottle to the grass with a dull thud.

I yawned, I was feeling rather drowsy after eating; the sun felt good on my skin for the first time in days, the breeze helped a lot with the jungle’s humid heat. I would have felt totally at ease from the world if it hadn’t been for the numb pain on the wounds on my face, and most of all, if I hadn’t been at the mercy of that lunatic. My relax moment was short-lived, though.

“Chica, wake the fuck up; take the dishes back, it’s getting late and I have business to attend,” he commanded. I resisted the urge to groan in disappointment; I got up and took his plate and mine.

 The rhythm around the camp had changed, it was more sluggish; some pirates were slumped in couches below some canvas, others finished their food while they talked loudly. I left both dishes on a big pile on a table of the canteen. I got back to his shanty, sighing in annoyance; I didn’t want to get back so soon.

He got up, rubbing his hands across his face. He didn’t seem to be on the mood for attending business as he had said.

“Ok, get the fuck inside,” he pushed me through the threshold. I walked straight to the bed and took my trainers off before I heard the lock being thrown. I took the book that lay on the mattress and looked for the page I had been reading before.

I sat there reading for hours, getting up from time to time to pace around the room. Now that I could move a bit I should do it; I longed for running around the park near my home as I used to, not a worry in the world except going onwards.

It was getting dark, I lighted one of the bulbs to keep on reading; I looked through the window. It was dusk time, the sky full of magnificent orange and pinkish colours; and I was closed there. Feeling dejected, I tried to distract myself by reading.

Night had finally come; the pirate hadn’t, though. I couldn’t help but feel relieved, I was far better alone than with him. However, I was beginning to feel rather sleepy; it had to be getting very late. Maybe he wouldn’t spend the night here; I curled into a ball and kept reading until my eyelids began to feel heavy.

“I should sleep,” I thought, yawning widely. I slipped my bra off; I would have wanted to take off my shorts, they weren’t really comfy to sleep. Part of me didn’t find it appealing, what if that son of a bitch tried something like what he did near the river? A different part of me laughed mirthlessly: as if a flimsy short would keep him from doing whatever he wanted with me.

Resigned, I took them off and tucked them next to my bra so they could be at hand. I turned off the lights and curled into a ball, my back to the window.


	6. Chapter 6- Bandage

**Hi, ladies and gentlemen, how do you do? :D**

**Sixth chapter, a bit shorter than others, but that will change soon. I have a lot of stuff prepared for you ;)**

**Thank you for the kudos and for following this fanfic, it's great to see people are reading it. :)**

**This chapter contains foul language and some violence, but not too graphical**

**I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.**

**So, I hope you like this chapter, I will come with another as soon as possible. Any reviews are welcome in order to let me know any mistakes and improve andy details. Also, if you have some ideas, you can contact me ;)**

It was comfortable being on that bed instead of on the earth, I could begin to feel the sunbeams on my skin; I smiled ever so slightly and moved my hand further over the mattress. It wasn’t on the mattress, though; a mattress doesn’t feel like warm human skin under the hand.

“What the fuck?” I thought, totally baffled. I opened my eyes all of a sudden; the light left me confused for a few seconds. I began to regain my vision and I saw the pirate lying next to me, asleep on his back; my hand rested on his bare chest. I felt the blood draining from my face, what now? If I moved it aside he would probably feel it; however, if I didn’t, he would wake up and see it there…

I lifted my hand slowly, my breath bated as if I feared that he would wake up from hearing it. I looked intently at my hand and observed it move away and fall over the mattress softly; I sighed in deep relief. Then I looked up and saw his eyes were open, staring at me with interest and bemusement at the same time. I felt an explosion of heat on my cheeks; then, a big smile spread over his face.

“You were hugging me,” he said, the corners of his eyes crinkled; it was not a question, but an observation.

“No, I wasn’t,” I rebutted hurriedly.

“Saw it, chica; your hand was just here,” he tapped his sternum with one finger, his voice still low from sleep. “I can almost still feel it,” he added with a wicked grin.

“I was asleep and my hand fell there, ok?” I retorted gruffly; he gave a lusty and raucous guffaw. I twisted the sheets under me with my hand, wishing it was his neck instead. He laid there, his chest quaking in silent laughter.

“What’s the matter, guapa, am I growing on you?” he turned his head towards me, still smiling widely.

I needed to leave that bed right then; I tried to go away, but something restrained me. I looked at my ankle, he must have put the handcuff while I was asleep. The thought of having him so near while I was so helpless was certainly disquieting. And, to make matters worse, I was very lightly clad; I was only wearing my panties and a thin tank, I noticed my nipples were pushing through the fabric.

He seemed to notice too, for his smile widened and his eyes glinted in an odd way. Then, all of a sudden, he put himself on top of me, pinning my wrists above my head with his hands. His body hovered over mine, there was no escape; I gulped in fear, remembering the other day. His eyes looked even darker, he smirked at my expression.

“Does this make you nervous?” he said in a low voice.

“Yes,” I breathed; my chest was heaving, my breath ragged even though I wasn’t moving.

“Such a shy girl,” he chided, he lowered his body even more, so that our thoraxes touched. Did he do it on purpose? Just to make me feel unsettled?

He rolled off of me and got up, still sniggering; he opened the handcuffs, I tried to stay away from his touch. He turned again and started getting dressed; quivering with rage, knowing he had made a fool out of me, I imitated him. I kept my back turned to him while doing it, I felt better when I was totally dressed again.

“Ok, girl, go get breakfast,” he said without bothering to turn to me. “Ordering me around like a dog, the big fucker,” I thought sourly. I practically stormed out of the shanty, I really needed to get away from him. I ran down the slope, focusing on keeping my balance. I sprinted through the trail that took to the canteen; the pirates looked at me, probably wondering why I looked so hurried.  

I reached the place and picked another mango and a pair of bananas for me. I got back quickly to the shanty, the pirate waited for me on the steps. I thrust him the mango and sat on the ground.

I peeled the banana and began to take a bite out of it; I heard a little snigger, I turned towards him, an eyebrow cocked in confusion. He had stopped peeling his mango and looked at me with his eyes full of amusement.

“D’you like bananas a lot?” he asked, trying to keep a straight face. I would have rolled my eyes at that immature question, but thought it better and decided to ignore him.

I looked away, concentrating in looking at the jungle. It was so…green and wild, so beautiful. The camp was on top of some kind of elevation, though by no means it was the highest place, it was surrounded by some towering mounts with sheer stony cliffs at the top. I finished the first banana and ate the second one, it tasted good, I had missed fruit in the cage, too.

“I need to go to the toilet, can I?” I looked at him hopefully; he made a gesture with his hand which I interpreted as yes. I did it among the grass again and went back to him, he was still on the steps.

“Get inside,” he ordered curtly, I sidestepped him and sat on the bed after kicking off my trainers. Where was the book? When I had fallen asleep it was still on bed; he had left it on the crate beside the bed. I picked it and prepared myself to read; however, I realised I couldn’t after I had to read the same paragraph four times in a row. Too much pent up energy, I supposed; I paced around the room like an animal in its cage.

Maybe I could do some exercise there, push ups or repetitive exercises. I lay down on the floor and began to do abdominal exercises, then continued with others that involved legs and back. When I finished doing some push ups I lingered on the floor for a few minutes, rather tired; the days of sitting and doing nothing had taken their toll.

I tried it again with the book; it had worked, I could focus more easily. I forgot every sound from the camp, even that I was there. I only came back to reality when I realised I was hungry. I pushed my face against the bars, trying to see if the psycho was coming back or not. I could smell food cooking, which only made feel hungrier. I put down the book and slumped on bed, I didn’t want that nut to come back, but I was starving.

It was getting late, I assumed he wouldn’t be back for lunch. I just lay there, playing with my hair while I read. I began to feel thirsty too, I walked to the fridge and drunk from the plastic bottle, the water was a bit stale. Maybe exercising hadn’t been a good idea, I felt hungrier and thirstier than other days.

I spent the afternoon reading, pacing around the room to stretch my legs, looking through the window or just lying on bed. I yearned to go back home, I wanted to see my parents again; I wanted my life back. The memories of my life before I came to the Rook Islands seemed alien, as if they were someone else’s. Would I ever return to it? I doubted it, some part of me, a dark and pessimistic one, felt that I would probably end my days here. My parents wouldn’t be able to pay, and Vaas would surely kill me. I was in a really brooding mood; at least with him around I was too preoccupied with keeping my head over my shoulders to worry about the future.

There was no point thinking about all that, and I knew it; but I did it all the same. It was getting dark, I was just lying on bed staring at the ceiling when the door was wrenched open and the pirate stomped inside. I had a bad feeling when I saw him, he was frowning and his jaw was clenched; I sat up and looked at him.

“The fuck are you looking at, puta?” he spat peevishly. I looked down rapidly; “what’s the matter with him now?” I thought nervously. He walked to the desk and let his gun fall with a loud clank. I lingered on the bed, not daring to move even an inch, watching his every movement while he left his weapons.

“Why are you still there, go get dinner, FAST!!” he whipped around at yelled at me. I jumped off bed and ran through the open door, forgetting to put on my trainers. The setting sun hit me on the face when I got out; I was half-blinded, so I had to go down the slope carefully so as not to trip and roll down the rest of the way.

I rushed towards the canteen and saw the queue. There were less people than yesterday, but I didn’t want to wait with that psycho in a bad mood. I joined the queue and fiddled nervously with the hem of my t-shirt. Luckily, today it was faster than the other day; I tried to ignore the rude looks from the pirates and looked at the back of the man in front of me. My turn came; I grabbed the metal cutlery and stood in front of the cooker.

“If it isn’t Vaas’ bitch again, are you his errand girl now or what?” he drawled full of scorn.

“Vaas’ bitch has to get his food right now, if you don’t he will probably come here himself, and he’s not in a good mood, would you like that?” I retorted with my voice full of spite. He filled one plate and half-filled the other, I left hurriedly.

I climbed the slope with the two dishes of fried noodles on each hand, which made it even more difficult. He wasn’t waiting on the steps, I peeked hesitantly through the threshold; he was slumped on the bed, his legs still on the ground, rubbing his face with his hand furiously. He realised I was there and glared at me.

“It was fucking time you came,” he walked to me and snatched the plate out of my grasp, he pushed me away none too gently. I sat on the grass as usually, noticing the tense atmosphere. I began to eat, though now I didn’t feel quite as hungry as before. I had nearly finished my food when I saw a greyish blur flying beside me and the sound of metal clashing against rock. The metal plate had collided against a big rock in front of the shanty, its contents spilled over the ground.

“Fuck,” I heard him rumble behind me. I looked at him sideways; I was starting to feel a bit freaked out by his behaviour, especially by how it would affect me. “Pick it up and take the dishes away,” he barked at me.

Looking at my unfinished noodles and, stifling an annoyed sigh, I got up and scooped the food that had fallen to the ground into the plate. I scampered to the canteen, though I didn’t feel like getting back to that lunatic. When I came back he wasn’t on the steps, I entered into the shanty, he was sitting on the bed, his hands holding his neck with a pained expression. He directed his gaze towards me, it felt like two white-hot knives going through me. He got up and dashed to me, I tried to recoil, but he was faster and grabbed me by the throat.

“I’m getting fucking tired of your shit, hermana. You keep looking at me as if I was fucking crazy, all frightened. And I’m getting fucking tired of it,” he snarled, more a beast than a man; then, he dragged me by the neck towards the desk, until my legs were pressed against it. He was beginning to crush my windpipe with his hand, it was hard to breathe. I had never felt so terrified in my whole life; my body felt extremely cold and my heart was pounding inside my chest.

“I’m gonna show you what fucking fear is,” he hissed, his nostrils flaring, eyebrows arched menacingly over his eyes, jaw clenched in rage. He reached with his other hand for something on the table; his switchblade. I felt ready to retch in fear, my whole body trembled. He opened it with his teeth and grabbed my face roughly to get a better grip. I tried to push him away, but it was like trying it with a wall. He pressed the flat, cold side of the blade against my face, just below the eye.

“Stay fucking still,” he growled through his teeth. “Now, what could I do with you? I could carve some lines on your cheeks and ruin your face. Imagine that, every time you looked into the mirror you would remember how I did it; or maybe I could gouge one of your beautiful eyes out, how does that sound, hmmm?,” my mouth felt extremely dry, and I felt so terrorized that I wouldn’t have been able to cry even if I wanted.

He looked at me intently, as if he couldn’t decide what to do with me. Then, unexpectedly, his grip began to lessen; he looked down, breathing loudly through his nose. He put the switchblade away and released my face, which hurt like hell right then; afterwards, he stroked my cheek lightly with his hand, as if trying to soothe me. He dragged his feet to the bed again, leaving the blade on the crate. I remained there, leaning with my hands against the table, not daring to move for fear I would fall to the ground. I hid my face from his sight and bit my lip harshly, tears threatening to overflow my eyes.

I looked up when I heard something heavy and wooden being dragged over the floor. He had put the crate on front of himself and was taking something out of his pockets. I watched him, feeling slightly curious; there was a little package of what looked like smoking paper and a little bag with dried green leaves. “Is he going to smoke pot?” I wondered.

“Hey, bring me a bag with tobacco from the first drawer of the desk,” he said, concentrated on his task. I did as he told me and rummaged through the lot of rubbish he had there (bullets, pieces of paper, broken pencils…) I left it on the crate and sat on the floor, not really knowing what to do.

“Fucking neck,” he groaned, rubbing his neck, “hurts like a bitch,” he added. “That must be the reason he’s so pissed off,” I thought. “Come here and give me a massage, chica.”

Did I hear well? I felt really bewildered that moment. “Hey, it wasn’t a suggestion, it was an order, get behind me,” he said pointing to his back with a free hand, clearly annoyed. I got up and crawled on bed behind him, I knelt with my buttocks over my feet.

“Where does it hurt?” I asked tensely, I didn’t even know where or how to start, what if I hurt him even more and he got more pissed off?(If that was even possible).

“Neck and shoulders,” he said plainly while he put marijuana and tobacco on a paper. “Ok, tell me if it hurts too much or whatever,” I muttered, he grunted in answer.

I took a deep breath and put my hands over his shoulders; he was extremely tense, it was like having wood instead of flesh under my hands. I applied pressure with my fingers and palms, softly at first. I made circles with my thumbs, pressing harder; I felt him beginning to relax slightly. He took the half-made joint to his mouth and licked the paper to put it together. He lit it with a match and put it on his mouth; he sighed, apparently contented.

“Don’t worry about hurting me, chica, do it harder,” he said, his voice a lot calmer than before. I obeyed, the smell of marijuana was beginning to fill my nostrils, smoke swirling towards me; it wasn’t an unpleasant smell. I continued with his neck, making pressure with the thumbs carefully. His shoulders relaxed visibly under my hands, he gave another long drag to the joint.

The smoke from the joint was having effect over me, or maybe I thought so and it was just a placebo. However, I was getting more and more relaxed; I sat in a more slumped manner, and began noticing other things around me. The greyish smoke spiralled to the ceiling endlessly, like a long thread twisting itself over and over. I also spotted other scars on the pirate; he had quite a few on his scalp, clearly visible through the dark stubble that was beginning to grow on his head. He also had on his shoulders and neck, they had a curious texture under my fingers, more…leathery would be the word.

We were silent; the only things that could be heard were our breaths and the sounds from the camp. He sighed, his shoulders sagging even more. “Uff, that’s so much better,” he mumbled while he scratched his face.

All of a sudden, I realized how awkward and strange the situation was. I was giving a massage to the man who planned to ransom me; someone who had mistreated me and would probably keep doing it. My hands froze for a second when I remembered what had happened only minutes ago, how he had threatened to hurt me. I forced my hands to continue with what I was doing, how could his mood change so fast? He had been raging at me, furious, and now he looked ready to fall asleep.

“I think that’s enough, honey, I feel a lot better,” he said. I let my hands fall, he got up and flexed his neck back and forth. “Yeah, so much fucking better,” he walked to the TV and crouched in front of the DVDs.

“Hmmm, don’t know what we could watch tonight,” he muttered to himself. Then he turned to me.

“Tell you what, I’m gonna give you a treat. You can choose a film,” he said with an ample grin. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“Really?” I wondered.

“Yep, so choose one while I get comfy, ok?” he walked to bed again, I heard the mattress creaking under his weight. I squatted and looked through the stacks for a while; then I found _The dark knight rises_. I smiled slightly when I saw it, I really liked that movie.

“Mmmm, is _The dark knight rises_ ok?” I asked.

“Batman and the dude with the mask-thingy? Yeah,” he answered.

I inserted the DVD and lighted the TV on, I walked to the bed and sat in my “usual” place. He still had the joint on his hand; he put a dirty ashtray at his side of the bed. I leaned against the wall, legs slightly flexed and focused on the film. He seemed to like it, or maybe he was too stoned to care; in any case, it was an advantage for me. It felt really nice seeing something familiar like Batman facing evil. However, in the real world there were no heroes like him to save the day, even if there were plenty of villains; and one of them sat by my side.

“Dude, gotta say that to someone sometime, “now, you have my permission to die,” “he tried to imitate Bane’s choked voice. I would have laughed if I hadn’t known he talked seriously.

I was beginning to focus on the film again when I felt his hand on my knee; I looked at it sideways, just resting over me. My body strained in one second; I wanted to go away from him but, if I did, he would probably go berserk again. Seemingly encouraged by my unresponsiveness, his hand began to trail upwards, towards my thigh. I felt the rough texture of the frayed bandage, and his calloused fingers on my skin, it stopped near my hipbone and left it there.

I was terribly conscious of it during the rest of the film, I couldn’t concentrate properly. He had begun to toy with the hem of my shorts in a distracted manner. The film finally came to an end, he yawned loudly.

“Well, chica, to bed,” he patted my thigh. I felt relief washing over me when he took his hand away. He stood up and began to undress for the night; I remained where I was. He turned to me, his top on one hand.

“Aren’t you going to get comfortable, or something?” he said with a slight frown.

“I’m fine like this,” I replied trying to keep my voice even.

“You weren’t so fucking prudish the other day in front of my men,” he replied; I bit my lip.

“Fine, then,” I said through gritted teeth.

I stood up and unbuttoned my shorts, letting them fall to the floor. Then I took my tank and loosened my bra, tossing it to the ground. He smirked when he saw me practically naked. I slid the tank over myself, feeling really awkward under his gaze.

“What, something you like?” I snapped, not able to help myself; I regretted it the moment it came out of my lips. However, a crooked smile crept over his face.

“Shouldn’t I, chica?” he teased, his voice low.

I turned away from him, feeling unnerved and angered. I heard his trousers falling to the floor, he groaned when he lay on the bed. Trying to hide my discomfort, I crawled to the other side of the bed, careful not to even brush him.

“Ah, almost fucking forgot,” he mumbled, he leaned towards the bottom of the bed and secured the cuff around my ankle. “We don’t want you going away, do we?” I heard him mutter, then he squeezed my ankle; I couldn’t see his face because I was facing the wall, but by his tone I could imagine his grin.

Finally, he turned the lights off; I felt him shifting on bed, trying to find a comfortable position. He rested with his back practically against mine; I couldn’t get away from him, as my knees were already touching the wooden wall.  His breath turned slow and deep; part of me envied him for being able to fall asleep so easily.

It felt as if it was going to be a long night for me, every time I closed my eyes I saw the pirate’s face near mine, the knife against my face. Why couldn’t he leave me in my cage? Why me? Probably there was no answer to those questions, that man was insane, that much was clear. He thought he could do anything he wanted to anyone he wanted; after all, he was the one in command in that place. What would happen to me if my parents weren’t able to pay? Would he really kill us? The darkest and pessimistic part of me cackled hollowly; of course he would, he had said it, and seemed to be talking seriously.

I tried to force my body to relax, beginning by the feet and ending with my mind; I had tried those techniques before exams and worked rather well. However, this time I wasn’t facing a test and the possibility of failing it; I faced a dangerous, psychopathic pirate who would kill me even for looking at him in a way he didn’t like.

I tossed and turned for what felt like years, not being able to move too much just in case the man next to me woke up. My eyes felt sore and itched and, at some moment, I fell into a nightmare. I was in a meadow in the middle of the jungle, a downpour of water soaking and blurring every tree and plant. On the centre there was a bamboo cage, I got near it, my parents were inside of it. They didn’t even look at me, they looked…defeated, just as the other captives I had met on that island.

“Mom, dad,” I whispered, grasping a bar, wanting to take them out of it. “I’ll get you out of here, I won’t let you die,” they said nothing, just kept staring at the mud.

“So, you want them to be free, don’t you, chica?” said a voice I knew and hated. He was behind me, I could feel it. “Yes,” I answered laconically.

“Well, I will need something in exchange… maybe I could gouge one of your beautiful eyes out, how does that sound, hmmm?” he appeared in front of me and sunk a knife into my eye. I woke up with a start in the middle of the night, once again.


	7. Chapter 7- Skin

**Hello! Here I am again :D**

**Thank to those who read this, to the ones who suscribed, to Akies and leaveyoursanityathedoor and the guest who gave me kudos.**

**There is an erotic scene on this chapter, and some M rated language, but nothing too serious.**

**I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.**

**Finally, thanks for reading my submissions, I will try to keep up with the updates. If you see any mistake or something that needs to be improved, let me know; and also if you have something interesting you wouldn't mind seeing on the story ;)**

A stinging pain on my right arm awoke me that moment. I shrieked in fear and pain, sitting up and looking around. The pirate’s hand hovered over me, I raised my arm to shield myself from another possible blow.

“What the…why did you hit me?” I asked in alarm, I pushed my back against the wall, feeling rather groggy.

“Hey, hey, chica, calm the fuck down; had a big wasp on the arm, I killed it, see?” he looked as sleepy as I did; he pointed at my arm with one finger. I looked and saw a wasp, or what remained of it, squashed on my arm; it was really disgusting.

“Anyway, why couldn’t you just shoo it away or whatever? No need to hit me,” I tried not to sound too reproachful, he laughed under his breath.

“Sorry, hermana, it was the fastest way. Better being slapped than stung, don’t you think?” he released the cuff and got up, he stretched, entwining his hands behind his neck. I got up and began to look for my clothes.

“Jesus, chica, I don’t know what the fuck you did to my back, but today it feels waaay better,” he flexed his arms.

“You are welcome, I suppose,” I said in a low voice, busy buttoning my shorts up.

“Get breakfast, I’m gonna take a shower,” he strolled out of the place, wearing nothing but his trousers. I tried to clean the rests of wasp rubbing the arm against the threshold. I really needed to take a shower, and change clothes too; these ones were beginning to be smelly. I wrinkled my nose, if I felt dirty, how would the others be?

I got down to camp, there was a bunch of pirates around a crate playing a game that involved…a snake, a live snake. One of them put his hand near it and put it away swiftly when the snake was about to strike. The others laughed and taunted him with “being such a big pussy.”

“Hey, honey, wanna play with us?” screamed one of them when he saw me.

“Nah, come with me, we’d enjoy ourselves,” said other, he raised his forefinger and heart and put them to the corners of his mouth, and then he stuck his tongue out and made licking motions. I snorted derisively and looked at them with disdain; did he really expect me to come?

“Dude, should know better than do that, she’s Vaas’ fucktoy,” said other.

Vaas’ bitch, Vaas’ fucktoy, the boss’ bitch; I was getting tired of it. Had I been reduced to that, Vaas’ toy? Now I was chica, hermana or puta most of the time, not Sofía anymore. I kicked an empty and rusty can that lay on the ground, a useless object.

Still brooding over this, I reached the canteen and got the usual things. I didn’t have to hurry as much as he was having a shower, maybe I could ask him to let me have one later. It was extremely annoying having to ask permission for everything, wondering if he would relent or punish me for wanting something. I had always been pretty independent, and now I was in this situation, doing everything he told me.

I got to the top of the hill; the sentries looked at me from their towers. Did they wonder as much as I did what I was doing with that lunatic? He wasn’t on the door, or in the shanty. I waited for him on the steps, holding the fruit on my lap; a few minutes later he strolled from the back of the shack.

His Mohawk looked wet and sharp-defined, I noticed he had taken the bandages and the plasters from his hands. The bandage hid a gash on the back of his hand, already scabbed and yellowing; on his fingers he had other little wounds, they seemed rather old too. I noticed the round tattoo on his chest, it looked like the face of some kind of beast, though I couldn’t distinguish which one.

He seemed to realise I was looking at him, I pretended to be looking at the camp; he smiled teasingly at me and raised an eyebrow. He stopped in front of me, hands on his hips; I kept ignoring him, though I could feel the rising heat on my ears.

“Find something interesting, chica?” he asked roguishly, he sidestepped me and entered into the shanty. I just waited for him until he emerged from it, I got up from the steps and gave him his mango, then sat on my usual place. I noticed he had changed clothes, a faded but cleaner red tank and plain khaki trousers instead of camo.

The sun shone over the camp, the weather was really nice; it was hot, but not too much. The bananas were very good too, I just needed a shower and that man not bothering me and I would have felt happier than I had in a long time. I ended the last bite of the fruit and looked at him sideways, he had finished too.

 Should I ask him to let me use the shower? The other day he had taken me to the river because I was covered in mud and stank, the question was if he would allow me this time. What if he asked something in exchange?  What if he tried…”Stop it,” said a firm voice inside my head. “You can’t know what he will do until you ask, try to be nice and not demanding, and hope it works.”

“Eh…Vaas?” he was lighting a cigarette in that moment, he grunted to show that he was listening.

“I was wondering if I could take a shower, I’m beginning to stink…” he looked at me.

“Yeah, you can,” he said as if it was something obvious. “You could have told me sooner, though.  We could have shared it and saved water…you know, save the motherfucking pandas and shit,” a wild smile distorted his face.

I felt goose bumps on the back of my neck at the innuendo on his voice. I grunted noncommittally and rose to my feet to get my things, he was still smiling while he looked at the camp. I entered the shanty and fished my toilet bag from under the bed, where I had chucked it the first day, my dirty clothes were there too. I came out with my towel, shampoo, gel and comb.

“Enjoy your shower, guapa!” screamed the pirate after me, I exhaled my breath through my nose when I was far enough. Why did he keep doing that? Did he find entertaining making me feel ill at ease? I opened the door of the booth, a streamlet of water had escaped from under it, leaving the ground muddy.

After I had stepped inside, I inspected the door to see if there was some way I could bolt it. There wasn’t, of course; he wouldn’t need one, this shower was only his apparently, and I don’t think his men would dare open the door. I tried to fit the door securely so it wouldn’t swing open while I was there naked. I left the towel hanging on the door and began to undress myself.

I sniffed my shirt, it was a bit stale and stained after wearing it almost four days in a row. I needed to wash it; however, I didn’t know what would I wear while I washed it and let it dry it. I was not about to wander around naked with that pirate near. Maybe I could wash the other clothes, the ones I had worn the first days, wash and then wait for them to dry and I could wash the others. My top was ruined though; I could always wear it open or try to tie it around my waist. Nevertheless, the idea of going down to the camp wearing such an outfit didn’t look a good idea either; those stupid pirates could take it as an invitation.

I hung the clothes on the door and left them there, I put my trainers out and turned to the hose. I opened the rusty tap on the wall and the tube began to spout freezing cold water. I suppose expecting a hot shower in the middle of the jungle was too big a luxury, but I would get by with cold water. I got under it, letting it soak me. It was really cold, maybe they extracted it from a nearby river.

I picked up the shampoo and began to lather my hair, kneading it thoroughly knowing I had more time. I supposed I had more time, at least; what if the pirate got tired and decided to take me out of there? What if he got some other idea when he saw me? “Stop being such a paranoid pussy, he said you could have a shower,” I scolded myself.

I rinsed the foam off my hair and poured some gel on my hands, then started spreading it over my skin. I reached my breasts, one of my hands glanced my left nipple. My nerves, already stimulated by the cold water and the air inside the booth, sent other sensations to my brain. It felt good, it felt pleasurable; but those good feelings began to feel tainted by the memories of the other day. I sensed his hands over my body again, him pressed against my back, forcing me to submit. I gritted my teeth; even my body betrayed me in that place. My hands were petrified over my breasts.

Two furious and burning tears rolled down my cheeks, in utter contrast with the coldness of the water. He had made me fear my own body, the sensations. “Oh, come on; you didn’t want to feel what you felt. The human body can’t distinguish between rape and consensual sex; you have a body, which means you have senses. Some women who have suffered sexual assault had orgasms during it, and it doesn’t mean they wanted it or consented to it, nor were looking for it,” reasoned part of me, I had heard about those kinds of cases. I wasn’t willing to letting him affect me so much.

I forced my hands to descend to my stomach; I rubbed the gel over it, watching my hands doing it. I breathed deeply and relaxed my body, concentrating in my hands and skin. I exhaled through my mouth and let my hand glide between my legs; a flash of the pirates tried to break into my mind. However, this was different, I could feel it; my fingers were much smaller and softer, and they didn’t touch as uncouthly as those two pirates from the beginning. I slipped them between my lips and stroked softly, I sighed.

“Hermana, have you drowned or what?” _his_ voice snapped me out of my trance.

“N…No, I’m fine,” I answered, my voice quaking. “Of course,” I thought bitterly “there’s no way I can have a moment for myself,” I took my hands from where they were and ended washing my arms and legs. I closed the tap again and reached for my clothes, they still hung over the door. I got dressed again and wrapped my wet bottles with the towel. I came out and crouched to put my trainers on.

The pirate stood in front of the mirror, a razor on his hand. He put it to his neck and started sliding it upwards. I combed my hair, as it had got tangled again. I eyed surreptitiously at the man in front of the mirror; it was utterly odd seeing someone as unhinged and cruel as him doing something as commonplace as shaving. It struck me that I hadn’t brushed my teeth since I came; I decided to go to the shanty to pick the brush and toothpaste.

“Is it ok if I go back to pick my toothbrush?” I asked him.

“Yeah, and don’t ask me permission for everything, it’s fucking annoying. You can get down to camp, or whatever; I don’t fucking care,” I had started walking the moment he said yes, but stopped dead on my tracks when I realised what he meant.

“Really? Why the change of heart?” I asked distrustfully, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Every entrance to the camp is guarded, and even if you got out you would have to face the jungle. See this?” he lifted the bottom of his top and pointed with his hand at the lower part of his back, I squinted my eyes, not wanting to get near. There were four parallel scars, rather old. “Big-ass tiger did that, so…”

“Tigers? Here?” I felt myself going pale.

“Yeah,” he chuckled, looking at my reaction from the mirror. “Bears, leopards, boars...come on, use your fucking head; this is the jungle, not fucking Central Park.”

He was right, of course (and I can’t tell how I hated to admit it) but we were in some isolated South-Asiatic island, it was logical there was that variety of wildlife.

“So, now I can go wherever I can inside of the camp,” I muttered to myself in amazement, I still had trouble believing it; he turned to me with a deep frown.

“Fuck, hermana, I didn’t think you had shit for brains, do I have to slap the fuck out of you so you get it?” he turned his body towards me threateningly. I recoiled instinctively, I raised my hands, one of them still held the towel with my things.

“Ok, Ok; I get it, I get it; I’m gonna pick my toothbrush,” I said, hoping he would calm down. Then, he laughed, a deep low laugh.

“Ok, chica, no need to get flustered, you can go,” he said with a grin and turned again to keep on shaving. I left for the shanty, feeling extremely stupid and nervous. I put my things inside the bag again and took the toothpaste and brush. I went to the back of the house again; the pirate was still there. I squeezed some paste out of the tube and brushed my teeth carefully, for a long while. When I finished I spat among the bushes and rinsed my mouth with water from the hose. The pirate had already finished and left.

I wandered back to the shanty, the pirate was nowhere to be seen; he had left me out of the shanty while he wasn’t there, he had been serious about giving me more freedom. I decided to make the most of this and stay a bit under the sun. There was a tree to the right of the house, it was as if it wanted me to relax under its shade. I lay down on the grass and stretched on my back, then intertwined my fingers behind my neck. I sighed, totally relaxed.

 The place was perfect, I could bask in the sun with my face under the shade of the tree so its glare wouldn’t blind me. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the heat on my now fresh and clean body, not even the wetness of my hair made me uncomfortable. I could feel the soft breeze blowing over me, the grass tickling my skin.

My mind had begun to slip away from that place when a shadow darkened the sun. I opened my eyes: the pirate’s silhouette was cut by the sun, I couldn’t distinguish his features but I knew it was him, possibly by his stance.

“Move,” he said plainly, he pointed to the side with his left hand.

I got to my feet and stood to the side, he dumped to the ground with a grunt and stretched pretty much into the same posture as I had been.

“It’s my place,” he said, scratching his neck lazily. “You can sit again, don’t stay there like a fucking idiot,” he grunted, opening one eye and looking at me.

I sat a bit away from him and tried to get back to how I was. I found it impossible, as the ground seemed to be full of uncomfortable lumps, and I couldn’t totally get the sun out of my face. I turned my face to the other side, totally aware of that man’s presence, hearing him breathe rhythmically. I began to find a place that wasn’t lumpy and put my hands under my head.

“So fucking nice to laze around from time to time,” he said in a sleepy voice, I grunted slightly to let him understand that I had heard him.

We remained silent for the next minutes, he looked very relaxed, but I wasn’t. It was as if he had polluted the atmosphere, like a machine rumbling in a peaceful forest.  I heard him moving next to me, he was sitting cross-legged, lighting a cigarette, he put it in his mouth and exhaled a big puff of smoke. He looked at me sideways, I pretended to look somewhere else.

He poked my stomach with one finger, and my body twitched in response, I turned to look at him, did he really had to disturb me?

“Don’t you relax, like, never?” he asked bluntly. I would have wanted to tell him that I had been rather relaxed until he had arrived, but it wouldn’t have been the best of ideas.

“I’m relaxed right now,” I said looking at the foliage above me.

He snorted derisively and lay down again, smoking from time to time. Why couldn’t he go somewhere else? He had the whole island, but he had to be here to spoil the best moment I had had for days. I felt restless with him beside me, even if he was in a calmed mood; there was no telling if that would end at any moment.

On the other hand, he didn’t seem to mind me being there; of course, he had no reason to fear me: he had the guns, the muscle, and the men. I was just an average girl with no idea about fighting, and I was his captive. It was as if some recess of my brain never forgot that, a constant nagging thought in the back of my head. It also reminded me of what he had done to the Japanese man the second day; a few words, a few badly chosen words, had been enough to get him killed. He had done nothing, he only asked him to leave the boy alone.

I looked at the man beside me, the monster, the murderer, and a shiver travelled down my spine. What if he decided to kill me? I needed to move away from him for a while at the very least; I got up and prepared to leave.

“Chica, where are you going now?” he asked without looking at me.

“I…I’m going to pick up the book from the shanty,” I said, he just grunted and put an arm over his eyes.

I came inside and took the book from the desk. I got back to the tree and sat with my back against the trunk, a pair of metres away from Vaas. Was he going to spend the whole morning lying there, doing nothing? I opened the book and threw myself inside it. I came out of my daydream at some moment, I felt hungry; the pirate lay there, fast asleep, I could tell. I got up and stretched, looking warily at the pirate; his expression was relaxed, mouth half-open, he breathed in and out regularly.

I felt like doing some exercise, I left the book near and strolled to the back of the hut, conscious of being looked by one of the guards in the towers. Behind the outhouse descended another slope. Feeling curious, I walked between the big-leafed trees; there was some kind of glade down there, and behind a wall made of metal scraps and wood. I touched it, it looked resistant enough. The undisturbed grass, the peace, the silence, looked out of place inside the camp; I was alone, maybe I could do some exercises. It felt good trying to keep something similar to a routine, I rested on the ground after I finished doing push-ups.

I was wiping off some sweat from my forehead when I heard a faint rustling behind me, I turned around hastily. The pirate was there, he looked at me quizzically.

“The fuck are you doing here? I’m fucking hungry, go fetch food!” I stood up wordlessly and marched up the slope. There was a general ambiance of laziness in the whole camp, one pirate scratched his ass while he yawned, slumped on a couch. I waited in the long queue at the canteen, it was hot down there, and full of irksome gnats. My turn came.

“Here you are, slut,” growled the cook.

“Thank you,” I looked at him in the eye defiantly before I left.

I got back with our food; it looked like diced chicken meat with vegetables. The pirate waited for me on the steps. I gave him his plate, he left it on the steps and gripped my wrist before I could leave.

“Why the fuck were you down there?” he asked.

“I don’t know, I felt like walking around and went there, can’t I, you said that I could.” I replied, trying to keep my nerves under control.

“I know what I fucking said; anyway, you can go around if you want, but don’t get too far. Is it understood?” he stared at me.

“Yes,” I said firmly.

“I’m giving you a little treat because I felt like doing it; but if you don’t toe the fucking line…” he raised his free hand and put a finger against my temple. “Bum, get it?”

“Got it,” I tried not to blink when he made the shooting sound. He released my arm and, supposing that was everything he had to say, sat down to eat.

We ate silently; I preferred it, what else would I do? Have some empty chit-chat with that pirate? I finished my dish and examined my dirty tank. I should wash my clothes, maybe I could do it now that I didn’t have anything to do. I took the dishes to the washing pile and got back; the pirate was sitting on the bed, a laptop on his legs.

“I need to wash my clothes, I’ll be behind if you want to know it,” I informed him, he raised one arm and flicked his wrist outwards, as if saying I could go. I picked the bundle of stiff and dirty clothes and my bottle of gel and walked out. I opened the door of the shower booth, I would have to wash them there somehow. I opened the tap and put the clothes under the water, then turned it off and rubbed them with gel. I would have wanted to wash my tank and my panties, but with that madman around…

I rinsed the water off them and wrung them until the last droplet of water had fallen. It had taken a while, and my fingertips were turning wrinkly. At least now I would have my other bra and short clean. A lot of water had splashed on my tank during the process, and my arms were rather wet too. I came out with the clothes; I saw a tree with a low-hanging branch and left them there to dry.

“I hope they dry soon, though with this hot weather it will probably be in a few hours,” I thought while I came back to the shanty. “I have no clean panties, on the other hand, nor a cleaner tank. Maybe I could wait until that pirate goes for a while and then wash them and wait until they get dry…”

If I had been paying attention, I would have noticed the noises coming from the shack, the door was ajar. I opened it carelessly and stepped inside; to my surprise, I saw the TV turned on, two blond women with enormous breasts on the screen; one of them with her legs spread while the other introduced her fingers inside her.

Lying on bed, a hand inside his pants, was the pirate; looking at me blushed and with fire in his eyes. We stood frozen for an instant, like a living picture.

“Oh, shit….I…I’m sorry,” I had to leave that place before he exploded. I stumbled out of the cabin and walked hurriedly to the other side of the slope, hoping to put some distance between him and me.

“COME HERE, NOW!!!” he appeared at the door, livid with rage. I stopped dead and hesitated, he would punish me for that.

“It will be worse if you make me go there, NOW!!” he roared. Grabbing nervously at the hem of my pants and looking at the ground, I stood in front of the steps.

“DO YOU HAVE….DO YOU HAVE ANY. FUCKING. IDEA. HOW RUDE THAT WAS?? Huh? You fucking bitch!!! Look at me in the fucking eye!!” I raised my eyes; his face was terrifying: lips retracted into a snarl, his jagged scar looking even more irregular because of his distorted face.

He grabbed the front of my tank and pulled me roughly into the shanty. He released me and clenched a fist in front of my face, as if he was ready to hit me; I prepared myself for a possible blow. Surprisingly, he walked away from me.

“So, there I was, trying to chill for a fucking while, when you interrupted me. Didn’t your papás teach you to knock the door before entering somewhere or what?? You really fucking messed me up, hermana,” he gestured wildly with his arms while he walked around the room; the sounds from the porn movie could still be heard on the background.

“Now, what the fuck am I going to do with you?” he wondered; if there was a moment to talk, it was this; I hated pleading, but it seemed the best choice I had.

“Look, I can’t tell you how sorry I feel. It was my fault, ok? Please, I’ll do anything so you forgive this little mistake…” I regretted saying that when I saw how his expression changed. He didn’t look enraged, he smiled; a ferocious and uncanny smile. It was as if my blood had curdled on my veins, what now?

“Hmmmm, would you?” he walked towards me, eyes shining darkly. “Well…Turns out I have a few ideas about what you could do,” he raised his hand and put it on my left breast, then let it descend to my left hip. I dug my fingers against my thigh and bit my tongue; his eyes were full of lust and ravenous hunger, I had seen it when I had to take my clothes in front of him for the first time. My mouth began to feel dry and I felt the hairs of my nape standing on end.

“Nah…I was in the mood for a jerk-off, but you fucked it up,” he squeezed my flesh slightly and then let his hand fall to his side. “But…yeah, why not? You could help me to get in the mood again, if you know what I mean,” he raised his eyebrows.

“What do you mean?” I asked, suspecting what his idea was, and not liking it at all.

“Don’t play the innocent with me, sweetheart; you know fucking well what I mean…” he walked to the chair and sat on it, one elbow leaning against the desk.

“What the fuck do you want me to do?” I asked, feeling desperate. I did not think I would be able to do it, but he wouldn’t care, if he did, I would probably be punished.

“Do I have to tell you everything? You lie in bed, get comfortable and touch yourself in a nice way…making sure I like it,” his smile grew even more at my expression. I bet he loved seeing me in this predicament. With a frustrated groan, I dragged my feet to the bed.

“Tut, tut, tut, hermana; what’s good if you are clothed? Come on, stark naked on the bed. Do it nice and slow,” I bit the inside of my mouth, wishing I could kill him with one glance.

 I crouched and took my trainers off, then took my tank and tossed it to the ground. Secondly, my shorts slid down my legs; after that, I undid my bra, hooked my finger on one cup and threw it to the ground. Finally I pulled my panties away from my body and let them fall into a heap.

“Yes, that’s better,” he said in a low deep voice. “Don’t stay there, on the bed,” gritting my teeth, I did as he said. I lay on my back, utterly conscious of his eyes on my figure. “Come on, do whatever you do when you are alone…think you are at home and turned on.”

“That’s more easily said than done, asshole,” I thought resentfully. Taking a few deep breaths, and reminding myself of what was at stake, I steeled myself. I put my hands over my breasts and stroked them, trailing my fingers down my stomach.

“Spread your legs, honey,” he said huskily; I sensed the air on my nether parts, I gasped at the sensation. My hand travelled slowly between my legs and let my fingers brush against my lips. I used the other hand to caress my stomach and breast, hoping feeling my own touch would help me concentrate. At least in that position I only had to look at the ceiling, and not at him.

I slipped one finger to my clitoris and pressed softly; my slit was rather dry, it would get chafed after a while. Feeling even more embarrassed, I put my first two fingers to my mouth and licked them, then stroked the ball of nerves again. I stifled a gasp when I felt the wetness; I made circles around it with the tips of my fingers for a while.

What the hell was happening? I was naked on a bed, touching myself to entertain my captor, how could I have ended like this? I applied more pressure with my fingers, my body began to feel hot; droplets of sweat formed on my forehead.  Pleasure was building inside me, even if I didn’t want to have another orgasm in front of HIM. However, my hands felt familiar and soft, and nobody knew my body better than me.

My other hand went between my legs too. I introduced one of my fingers inside of me; I was getting wet, I was reminded of the time on the river. It was his fault, all of this was because of him; if he hadn’t made us fight I wouldn’t be here. “Don’t think that, it will do no good,” advised the most sensible part of me.

“Come on, guapa, cum for me…” he said in a raspy voice from the chair. I noticed the change in his breathing, it was more shallow and fast.

I bit my lower lip and took my other finger from my vagina, then used it to help the other. The combined touch on that sensitive organ caused a myriad of sensations in me. My body tensed and I couldn’t suppress a soft moan; I could hear my own laboured breathing. I rubbed faster and harder, increasing the pressure; my body arched slightly and I closed my eyes tightly. A sensation coming from my loins flooded my whole body. My body tensed and I moaned, totally out of control; it was as if the world disappeared for a few instants, as if I was out of it.

I rested for a few moments, completely out of breath. My body shook slightly, lying spread-eagled on the bed. I heard movement from the other side and remembered the pirate; he had seen _everything_ , shame joined the other sensations.

“Huh, wow…chica, fuck. That was really nice,” he said, gasping for breath himself. I got up from the bed, not minding my nakedness; I eyed him, he sat sprawled on the chair, his tanned skin slightly flushed, a satisfied expression on his face.

“Is it enough?” I asked, my mouth dry, feeling light-headed.

“Yeah, more than enough,” he looked at me keenly for a few seconds, as if he found me really interesting. I bended to pick up my things from the ground and began to get dressed. I finished, the pirate had got up and opened the fridge, he was downing a bottle of beer.

“I’m leaving, chica. I’ll leave the door open so you can go out or whatever, just don’t go too far,” before he left he delivered a sharp slap to my butt. I bit my tongue and glared at his back while he left sniggering under his breath.

“Motherfucker,” I thought angrily. I needed to leave that place and stop thinking, so I went back to the tree and picked the book up. I read for what looked like hours, until the twilight changed the sky. The book emptied my mind of all the dark thoughts that crowded my mind, so I could feel grateful for its presence. I revised my drying clothes and went back to the shack.

It didn’t look like the pirate was coming, I reasoned. “Now I can go wherever I want, maybe I could get dinner for myself, if he comes back I’ll go back for his,” I waited in the usual queue, looking for the pirate with my gaze in case he was there.

“Only one plate?” grunted that disgusting cook.

“Yeah, only one plate,” he ladled some soup on it, even less than other times. I pulled a face at him and left, my head as high as I could.

 I sat on the usual place, it was strange not having the pirate behind me. I noticed the birds in the jungle sang even louder during this time of the day. It felt rather good being there, even if my rations were rather meagre, but it was the first time I had eaten three meals in a day in that island; it must be some kind of record for a captive.

I went down to the camp and left my plate there, ignoring the remarks from a pair of passing-by pirates.

“Shake that ass for me, girl!” said one of them, I just kept walking.

I felt exhausted, as if I had been doing things all day long. I changed clothes and lay down on bed, turning off the lights. My body felt pleasantly heavy, and I felt myself sinking into a soft slumber. The last thing I felt was a warm hand and then something cold circling my ankle.


	8. Chapter 8- Numbness

I woke up in the middle of the night, something hot was pressed against my back, nearly pushing me against the wall under the window. It was the pirate’s back, I could feel his body expanding and contracting with each breath against my own body. I squirmed uncomfortably, feeling a terrible need to go to the bathroom, my mouth as dry as a desert.

“God, I need to pee so bad…” I thought, rubbing my eyes. It was dark inside the shack, the only light that came were the slivers of pale clarity coming through the barred window. I sat gingerly and looked hesitantly at the man sleeping beside me. He lay on his side, legs curled and hands closed into fists on the mattress. I tried to get up, and groaned inwardly when the cuff stopped my leg.

Fearing his reaction, I decided to ignore my body and tried to fall asleep again, even if I knew it would be useless. Keeping my legs crossed, I curled on my side, trying to avoid contact with Vaas, but there was little room for it. After a few minutes, I understood it was hopeless, I would have to ask him to open the cuff.

“Vaas,” I said in a barely audible whisper; no response, of course, it was impossible he had heard it. “Vaas,” I raised my voice this time, he gave a louder snore, probably disturbed in his sleep. Feeling impatient and with my bladder about to explode, I sat up and stared at him for a few seconds, as if willing him to wake up.

“Vaas,” doubt and fear filling every corner of my being, I raised a hand and tapped his shoulder. He stirred and grunted, then muttered something I didn’t quite understand; it didn’t sound like English or Spanish. My whole body in tension, I prodded him again, not too hard.

“¿Qué cojones pasa?” he rasped in a loud voice, he sat up swiftly, then slammed a hand on my chest, pressing me against the window, I yelped in pain when my head collided against one of the bars.

“¡Eh! ¡Que soy yo, suéltame!” I croaked, speaking in Spanish instinctively. He looked at me, he still looked dazed, but it was amazing how fast he had reacted.

“¿Qué coño hacías, puta?[1] You scared me to death, you piece of shit,” He hissed reproachfully, his grip on my neck lessened slightly.

“I’m sorry Vaas, I needed to go to the toilet and I’m cuffed,” I raised my hand and tried to pry his fingers away from my neck, the corner of the square bar was digging into my head.

“Why the fuck should I care? You should have gone before going to sleep, your fucking fault, hermana,” he growled.

“Yes, I know; it won’t happen again, but I need to go, seriously,” apparently appeased, he stopped squeezing; he rubbed his thumb over my neck and then he let me go.

“Ok, but if you do it again you will be fucking sorry, I swear it,” he swung his legs out of bed and shambled to the desk, he opened the cuff. I got up, remembering why I had woken him up.

“Thank you,” I said, opening the door. I walked as fast as I could to the back of the shack and hid among some bushes. A sigh of deep relief escaped my lips. I walked under the starry sky to the cabin, wondering how I hadn’t tripped on the way out.  I saw a figure walking out of the shack; it was Vaas.

“I’m finished, I was just coming back,” I explained, supposing why he was there.

Without saying a word, he got to me and pushed me hard against the wall, holding me in place with his body.  I froze for a moment, but a moment later I began to try to push him off me.

“You shouldn’t walk around half naked while it is dark…who knows what could happen, hmmm?” he mumbled against my ear. His lips brushed my neck, face hair tickled against my skin. I felt so taken aback that I stopped fighting gradually.

“Yeah, that’s better, honey, no need to piss me off even more, don’t you think?” his hands, which had been against the wall to the sides of my shoulders, went to my buttocks, pulling me against him. His body felt hard against mine, as if I was compressed between two walls.

I lingered as I was, arms hanging limply at my sides, fists clenched. I could feel a bulge inside his boxers; he pushed himself against me even more.

“I didn’t like it when you woke me up, not one fucking bit. But...I don’t know, now that we are awake…” suddenly, he slid one of his hands over my head, tangling a fistful of hair between his fingers. He rammed his mouth against mine, holding my head in place so I wouldn’t move. He tried to force my lips open with his tongue, but I kept them stubbornly shut. His other hand left my butt and rose to my waist, forcing me against him.

He caught my lower lip with his teeth, biting it hard enough to break my half-healed skin; he ran his raspy tongue over the little wound; I grunted slightly because of the stinging sensation on my lip. He took advantage of this and forced my mouth open with his, kissing me harshly. I could taste tobacco and alcohol on his mouth, as well as my coppery blood; he had showered today, but I could still perceive the smell of cigarettes on him. His hand moved from my waist to under my tank. I tensed even more when the tips of his fingers trailed over my stomach, cupping one of my breasts and squeezing it, flicking my nipple with a thumb in the process.

He kissed and touched me for what looked like an excruciatingly long amount of time. He broke the kiss; he had been so rough that my lips throbbed. He chuckled deeply, still gripping me tightly.

“What if we keep having fun inside, honey?” he rasped, his voice laden with lust. I couldn’t see his face, but I could imagine it; my jaw tightened in fury, hating feeling so powerless. Surprisingly, he laughed aloud and separated himself from me.

“Don’t worry, chica, I was just kidding; I’m too fucking sleepy for that…I prefer to be awake when I fuck,” he ruffled my hair with one hand, as if I was a child. He went into the shanty, snickering softly.

I stood there for a few seconds, fighting the urge of going after him and trying to hit him. A pointy little stone had been digging into the sole of my foot and I had barely registered it. I shook it off violently, sending it far from me.

Seething with fury, I stomped into the hut and then crawled into bed, avoiding the pirate. He sat up and grabbed my ankle to close the cuff around it. I exhaled through my nose in exasperation, while I tried to find a comfortable position.

“Night, hermana,” he muttered behind me.

“Night,” I answered, clutching the sheets under my body, wanting to turn my words into poison.

 

I felt a hard poke on my stomach, I slapped away whatever was doing it and tried to keep sleeping.  I felt another prod, this time harder. I opened my eyes and saw the madman beside me, his forefinger hovering over me.

“The fuck are you doing?” I croaked, sitting up straight.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he grumbled, jumping out of bed. “You look like a fucking zombie; wake up, chica,” he said, looking at me while he put his trousers on, I put my feet on the ground.

“Didn’t sleep well,” I grunted, my head hurt like hell, and my mouth was dry, parched.

“Shame, I slept like a log,” he said, putting his belt into place.

“Maybe I’m just dehydrated, I’ll go to the hose…” I said, thinking aloud. I was sitting on bed getting dressed. He was busying himself checking that his guns were loaded and in their place.

“There’s water in the fridge, you know,” he commented, glancing at me over his shoulder.

“I didn’t know,” I lied, shrugging my shoulders.

“Don’t fucking lie,” he turned, his face grim. “I know you drank, so don’t lie in my fucking face.”

I stood there paralyzed, feeling his furious glare over me; he was about to burst into one of his fits, I could feel it. I knew I shouldn’t have drunk, I knew it…but I had been feeling so thirsty that I couldn’t help it. He walked towards me, the back of my knees bumped against the bed.

“I fucking hate when people lie to me. You wanna disrespect me, hmmm? You think I’m an idiot, huh? Fuck you!!!” he raged, covering my face with droplets of spit, pushing a finger into my shoulder with every word.

“I’m sorry, Vaas; I was really thirsty…” I apologized in a thin voice, full of dread.

“No, no, no, no, please, shut the fuck up, chica. Do I have to remind you who’s boss here? Aquí los cojones los pongo yo!![2]” he switched into Spanish in his rage; he stared at me, his eyes so open that they looked ready to pop out of their sockets.

I tried to say something, but couldn’t, maybe the best thing would be to keep my mouth shut.

“You are my bitch,” he spat, “don’t you ever forget it, or maybe I will have to stop being so fucking nice to you” he hissed, grabbing my shoulder with his left hand, digging his fingers into my skin; he inhaled deeply, his chest swelling visibly.

 “If you ever lie again, I’ll cut you into fucking pieces, do you understand?” he growled; I remained wordless and motionless. “I said… DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” he raised his voice.

“Yes, I understand,” I said in barely more than a whisper.

“Ok, then; I’ll let it pass this time because I woke up in a rather good mood. Now, go fetch breakfast,” he let go of my shoulder and walked out of the room.

 I put my bra and trotted out of the place, my head pounding painfully. I would have to drink water when I came back; I felt sorely tempted to delay myself so as not to have to be with him, but that would only make him angrier.

He had said he was “being so fucking nice with me”, I couldn’t help but scoff. Was that his concept of being nice? Treating me as if I was his personal slave? Frightening me into doing things? Trying to force himself on me? On the other hand, though, I had already seen how he behaved with his own men, and there wasn’t so much difference. I remembered the way he had hit that man with his pistol, how he shot the Japanese, and when he hit Keller and the other guy. Those two pirates from the second day came to my mind too. “Well, _they_ really deserved what they got,” I mused. Maybe he _did really think_ he was being friendly or something like that, compared with the others. Although that didn’t mean he was being truthfully kind.

My head hurt with every step; I entered under the canvas and walked in a beeline towards the boxes of fruit. Then I turned to go, ignoring the pirates having breakfast there. “You are my bitch,” still echoed in my mind; he himself had said it. Deep inside, I always knew why he wanted me for, of course, I wasn’t so naïve. He had left his intentions rather clear since the first day, and he had reminded me of them that same night; I pursed my lips when I thought of it.

He was on the steps, he seemed to be occupied examining his fingers. He had removed the plasters the other day, I recollected. I got near, he ignored me; he was scratching at his scabbed knuckles with one of his short stubby nails, trying to pick it, his tongue poking between his teeth in concentration. I waited, unwilling to interrupt him. He finished tearing the hardened tissue from his skin, revealing the pinkish flesh underneath; he flexed his fingers, frowning.

“Give me that,” he said, making a gesture with his fingers. I bended to his level and put it in his hand. He smiled…triumphantly.

“I knew it,” he quipped cheerfully.

“What?” I asked in puzzlement.

“That if I made you do that I’d get a nice view of your cleavage,” he grinned, his eyes alive with mischief.

I turned around, trying to hide my blushing cheeks; I heard him snigger behind me. I tightened my grip around my breakfast, nearly squashing the bananas.

“Sorry, chica, but seeing you so embarrassed is so funny,” he explained breathlessly, still laughing.

“Oh, how I would like to make you stop laughing, asshole,” I thought, dropping to the ground not too gracefully. I didn’t know what to make of his sudden behaviour changes; one moment he had one of those tantrums of his and then he was in a joking mood. The first one scared me senseless most of the time, and the other was rather irritating.

I devoured my fruits, needing to drink water; now that I could go out I would only have water from the hose, just in case he got mad at me for drinking from the bottle. I went to the shower and drank until I slaked my thirst completely; I came back to the steps, the pirate had taken out his switchblade and was scratching the wooden steps with it distractedly. I walked to the tree and lay under its shade, trying to sleep a bit more, just to kill time.

“Hey, guapa; I’m leaving, but don’t go too far, ok?” I heard the pirate scream from the shack.

“Ok, don’t worry,” I answered; a little balloon of hope swelled in my chest. I would be alone on the outside, without that guy around watching my every movement, disturbing me whenever he had the opportunity.

The headache was subsiding bit by bit, I breathed out softly. Being there reminded me of my home, when I used to be on the grass in summer. The blades on my skin felt the same, the air blew over me in a pleasant manner, although the weather was hotter and wetter. I was getting used to the island, maybe too used to it. Maybe I shouldn’t, after all, I was there against my will. Had the ransom video arrived? It should have, a few days had passed since I the video had been recorded. The little balloon burst loudly; how would they get the money? They must be worried sick, and I’m here like an idiot.

I sat up, feeling dejected; I hadn’t had any news from the outside world in days, not even from the people in the cages, it was as if I had been confined to my own small personal nightmare. It didn’t matter that I received better food, slept in a regular bed and had some freedom of movement; I still had to face the fear of death every second with that man, conscious that my life hanged from a very thin thread. It was very possible that I wouldn’t die because of an illness due to the hygienic conditions, or starvation, nor by exposure to the elements; but I could still get a bullet to the head for no apparent reason.

I needed to move, take those glum thoughts out of my mind. I wished I could have somewhere to run, it always made me forget everything. However, the slope was too small and irregular for that; and I wouldn’t dare to go to the main camp, unless the pirate ordered me too. The less I interacted with the pirates, the better; I didn’t trust them to remember the threats from their lord.

Those two pirates from the second day had wilfully disobeyed him, even if they knew the consequences. Their execution would still be fresh in the minds of the others, but I was taking no risks if I could help it.  Much to my chagrin, I had to admit that the pirate had saved me from being raped by those men. Nevertheless, it was fairly clear to me that he hadn’t punished them because they had been trying to harm me, but because they had directly and consciously disobeyed his orders. He wasn’t delivering justice for me, but for himself.

“Does it matter if those men didn’t get what they wanted that time?” inquired a harsh voice inside of me. “You are well aware of what he wants from you, and it is not your company or someone to run errands for him. He’s toying with you for the moment, but he will want more, and if you don’t give it to him…he’ll just take it, it’s crystal clear, really,” jeered that horrible voice. “What else can you expect from a psychopath like him? Someone who’s used to having everything he wants? Someone who, if denied something, would just take it by force?”

I jumped to my feet and sprinted towards the glade down the slope, as if trying to leave everything behind. I panted heavily when I reached the little clearing; I bended and put my hands over my knees, waiting until my heart steadied itself. I sat with my legs crossed on the ground, my mind feeling emptier than before. I began to do my usual exercises, trying to release as much energy as I could; when I finished my muscles hurt and were hard, I would be stiff the next morning, but at least I felt tired and relaxed.

I lay on my side, looking without seeing the wall that separated me from the rest of the world. The earth felt hot under me, a few weeds were tangled in my hair and some others clung to my clothes. I got up after I while and walked listlessly to the shanty, then picked the book again. I would finish it soon if I kept reading at this rate; I went back to the glade, it felt good knowing I could be alone there, where not even the guards in the towers would see me.

“Chica!! Where the fuck are you??” I groaned when I heard his voice. I got up and walked towards the shack. He was near the booths, waiting for me to come. “I told you not to go too far,” he grunted.

“I wasn’t far, I was just on the glade,” I explained.

“Whatever, move your white ass and get food,” he commanded. I walked away and left the book on the steps, hurrying down the slope. The queue was as sluggish as ever, and a guy was making me feel very nervous by breathing down my neck the whole time. He was near enough to touch me, I had my fists closed around my thumbs just in case.

“Qué bien hueles, mamacita[3],” he said in a deep Colombian accent. I recognized the voice from the pirate who had caught me on the plane; I bit my tongue and continued ignoring him.

I grabbed a pair of dishes and presented them in front of the cooker, I looked at him in the face defiantly. He growled something I didn’t understand and filled one plate with soup, then put a considerably smaller portion on the other.

I left the place hurriedly, trying to get away from that creep. I trudged up the slope and gave the pirate his plate, today it was some kind of fish soup with vegetables. I sat on the same place as always, playing with my food, I didn’t feel really hungry. I forced myself to eat, who knew if I would have dinner that night, it was impossible to know with him.

I finished, his plate was empty too; I stood up and took his plate. I left for the canteen, the place was deserted at that time of the day, I chucked the dishes on the pile and walked to the shack again.

I got back and picked my book up, then sat on the ground with my back against the wall. The pirate remained where he was, a cigarette held between his lips, scratching at his fingers in an almost compulsive manner. I could hear his nails scraping against the skin of his knuckles over and over again.

“Fucking hell,” he swore loudly at some point. Startled, I took my eyes away from the book, the pirate was staring at his hand, his fingers were covered in blood.

“What happened?” I blurted out.

“Scratched my skin off my fucking fingers,” he grunted. “Don’t stay there like an idiot, go fetch the doctor and ask him some bandages and tape. And make him come here, I need a word with him.”

“Where is he?”

“Fuck, chica, it’s fucking easy. You go to the canteen and follow the trail to the cages, but instead of going there you turn left until you find a big hut, there’ll be people hanging around, ask them,” he pointed in that direction with his bloodied hand.

I left, none too sure that I had understood him. I reached the canteen; “how am I supposed to find my way in this place?” I thought, creasing my eyebrows in concentration. I tried to think about the day he had taken me to the river. I arrived to the canteen, I had to take the trail that went past it. I took a few hesitant steps in that direction; that would be the farthest I had been by myself since I had arrived to this place. I gritted my teeth and walked onwards, searching for some clue about where I was going, but the shanties were practically all the same.

I just walked, then I saw some kind of trail going up a slope, I think that was the path to the warehouse. I knew I had to turn right to reach the cages, there was a wider way, it looked like the one I had to take.

“Fuck that pirate and his orders. I hope he bleeds to death,” I thought savagely, I kept walking, there were pirates there too, they didn’t even try to look away when I near. In the distance I saw how the path turned even wider, that must be the cage zone. I would have to ask where I should go now. I looked furtively to the other pirates, looking for one that was alone and didn’t look too menacing, a hard task in that camp. There was an older man slumped on a couch under a canvas, he was watching the screen of a very old TV.

“Errrr…Excuse me?” I asked, the man looked at me with an annoyed expression. “How the hell do you talk to a pirate?” I thought, exasperated.

“What?” he asked gruffly.

“Vaas told me to fetch a doctor, where is his house?” it would do no good to beat around the bush.

“Turn left and follow that way, it’s near the walls,” he hinted the way with a curt movement of his chin.

“Thanks,” I said while I walked away; he just grunted and kept watching TV.

I trotted through the place, trying to reach the place as soon as possible and get back to my book. There was the bigger hut. I looked cleaner and better taken care of than the rest of the shanties. I walked under the canvas that served as porch and knocked the door.

“I told you, Bornani. Painkillers are needed for more important things than hangovers,” said a voice while the door opened. A tall and thin middle-aged man came out of it, he had pale Caucasian skin. It attracted my attention because he was the first European-looking person I had seen in days; the rest of the pirates looked African, Asian or South-American; Vaas had a Hispanic look about him too. His stern expression changed into confusion when he saw me.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were Bornani, he has been pestering me the whole morning for some aspirins, but it’s his fault if he drinks too much. Come inside if you want,” he stepped to the side to let me in. At first I felt a bit baffled because of his good-manners, they looked odd in a place like this. I entered into the darker inside of the building.

The place was clean and orderly, well lit by several windows covered by nets to stop the mosquitoes. There were metal cupboards with medicines and tables with medical tools, the smell wasn’t too different from any regular hospital. The man himself had a clean and orderly appearance, with his well-trimmed salt-and-pepper hair and beard and clean though rather old clothes. He looked at me with sharp greyish eyes.

“I suppose Vaas sends you, what does he want?” he asked, closing the door behind us.

“How did you...?” I asked, he smiled slightly.

“Well, it doesn’t take a genius to know it. The other men have been talking about a young woman being in Vaas’ hut and walking around the camp from time to time. Women are not too abundant in this place, and they are usually kept in cages,” he smiled at my surprised face. “Well, why did Vaas send you?”

“He wants me to come for some bandages and plaster; and he said you had to come, he wanted to tell you something,” the man walked to a desk and opened a drawer.

“He has been scratching his fingers again, hasn’t he?” he looked severe again. “One day he’ll get them infected,” he put something on the pocket of his jacket. “Well, let’s go, I suppose you already know Vaas’ moods.”

I snorted in response. We walked out of the hut and marched together towards the hill. I caught him looking at me sideways, probably with as much curiosity as me.

“He should have brought you after the fight to disinfect those wounds,” he commented, making a gesture with his head towards my neck and forehead.

“He poured vodka or something like that after the fight. Don’t worry, I had almost forgotten about them,” I said, touching absentmindedly the scratches on my neck.

We walked the rest of the way silently. I looked at him by the corner of my eye; he didn’t look like a pirate, he looked…nice, very different from the rude and arrogant men I had met in that camp. What was he doing there?

I let him lead the way, he was taking me through different trails. I would have felt suspicious with anyone else in that camp, including Vaas. But that man didn’t look dangerous or menacing like the others, nor did he carry any weapons, at least not at plain sight. We reached the slope and climbed it.

“Fucking time you came,” grunted the pirate, he was sitting on the steps, a bottle of rum sitting on a plank. His hand wasn’t as bloody as before, I supposed he had cleaned it with the alcoholic beverage.

The doctor took a roll of surgical tape and other of bandages and gave them to Vaas. The pirate left them on the steps and then proceeded to light a cigarette, a thoughtful expression on his face. We waited in silence, the pirate sitting on the steps and us standing in front of him, like two vassals asking audience to their lord.

“What about the other girl? Shouldn’t she be already cured?” asked the pirate lord gruffly. At first I didn’t quite understand what he meant.

“She’s better, of course. Her nose had been broken as well as several bones from her face; her ribs had a few bruises too,” the doctor looked at me sideways, I realised he was talking about Sarah, guilt shook my body with a shock.

“If it’s that she should be healed by now,” replied the pirate, taking a long drag.

“Yes, I tried to recompose her nose and bones as well as I could, but resources are limited here…The problem is that she suffers from the stress of the fight and the consequent wounds. She has reacted to more stimuli these last days, but she’s still delirious in certain moments, mostly asking for her daughter. She barely talks, it must be post-traumatic catatonia,” my whole body felt cold and numb, I had done all that.

“Then drag her out of the fucking bed, I promised my men could have her when she was cured,” growled the pirate, the doctor didn’t even blink.

“I don’t think that would work, boss. She’s totally apathetic, she would need something really strong to get her out of this state, seeing her daughter for example,” Vaas stared at the older man, exhaling the smoke through his nose, deep in thought.

“Yeah, whatever, save yourself the fancy words,” Vaas waved his hand impatiently. “I’ll think about it, you can go,” he dismissed him. The doctor left, looking at me keenly one last time.

The pirate picked the roll of tape and began to pry away the tape, I sat on my usual place, putting the book on my lap. I tried to start reading, but I couldn’t concentrate.

“Fucking tape,” he said under his breath. “Hey, hermana, your nails are longer, get me some tape,” he thrust the roll over the open book; I rolled my eyes and separated the sticky material, then gave it to him. 

He cut pieces of tape and wrapped them around his scabbed fingers, then he covered the scarred gash on his hand with the bandage.

“That’s fucking better,” he said, flexing his fingers to let the material adjust itself. He took a swig of the liquor and put the bottle in front of me.

“Want a shot?” he asked.

“No, thanks,” I replied. He left the bottle again.

We spent the rest of the time in silence; the pirate had his back against the threshold and played with his switchblade distractedly, opening it and closing it over and over. He only moved from there to pick his laptop.

I tried to read, but it was impossible; I couldn’t get the doctor’s words out of my head. Sarah was in a catatonic state, barely talking; all because of the fight. I could have ended like her, I could be the one lying in that bed, waiting to be considered cured and then thrown to those men as if I was a chunk of meat. I had been lucky during the fight, but now I had to stay with the madman.

 The images from the fight became a blur in my mind, and also what had happened afterwards, like an endless nightmare. The colours were vibrant, the sensations as clear as if I was there. The sounds from the crowd, the taste of blood on my mouth, the wet smell of the river, the shanty growing darker, the pirate pushing me against the wall.

Night was coming steadily, time seemed to change its pace on that island, sometimes escaping like fine sand between my fingers, sometimes as immovable as a block of ice. The pirate was reading something on the laptop, the screen illuminated his face. He left the device next to him, got up and stretched his arms.

“Dinner, chica,” he grunted, and left for the back of the shack. I stood up and left the place, looking at the ground, not even enjoying the dusky colours. I joined the queue, someone pinched my left buttock; I turned to glare at whoever it was.

“There you are again, mamita,” the pirate from before smiled lewdly at me. “It’s nice to see a fine piece of ass from time to time,” he said, I showed him my teeth threateningly and turned, hoping he would leave if I ignored him.

I nabbed two dishes and forks, and waited for the cooker to attend me. He turned to me and spat to the ground, looking at me with despise.

“Enjoy your food, Vaas’ whore,” he sneered, the pirate behind me laughed appreciatively. I fought not to throw the food to the cooker’s face.

Feeling in a growing bad mood, I climbed the slope, kicking rocks out of my way, imagining they were pirates. The pirate lord sat on the steps, I passed him his food. He smiled when my tank dipped the moment I bended, our eyes met. He chuckled and took the dish, his gaze wandering over my frame.

I ate my food, my rice was a bit burned in some parts; that guy had done it on purpose. I took the dishes down to the canteen when I finished, more like a robot than a human; I didn’t feel well. It wasn’t physical, but something wasn’t right. I arrived to the shanty, the pirate was still there, twirling his matchbox between his fingers, he looked pensive.

“I think I’m going to bed, I feel kind of tired,” I said in a hollow voice. He eyed me with curiosity.

“It’s soon, chica, what’s wrong?” he asked, he frowned a bit, as if he was worried. However, a man like him would only worry for himself.

“I don’t know, I just feel tired,” I lied; in truth, I was haunted by the past, by himself. He edged a bit to the side to let me inside. The hut was dark, but I didn’t even bother to turn on the lights. I took my clothes in silence, not caring if he watched or not, then curled to a ball on the side of my bed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] “What the fuck is going on?”
> 
> “Hey, it’s me! Get off me!”
> 
> “What the hell were you doing, bitch?”
> 
> [2] Taken from the Spanish translation of the game, translation and adaptation of “I’m the one with the fucking dick.”
> 
> [3] “You smell so good, honey.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi guys! Long time no see!**

**I want to say thanks to those who are reading, following this story and sending kudos, it feels good knowing what you do is appreciated.**

**This chapter contains rather foul language and graphical violence.**

**I do not own Far Cry nor none of its characters.**

**I will keep on writing, if you have some ideas or would like to point out some mistake in the chapters or comment anything you want, you know how ;), I would really appreciate your opinion.**

* * *

 

My eyes snapped open when I heard someone muttering under their breath next to me. I saw through the corner of the eye how the pirate raised his hand to his face and rubbed it furiously, he sat up; frowning when he saw me. He yawned, not even bothering to cover his mouth, and stretched his limbs, making them crack.

"The fuck you looking at?" he said in a throaty voice.

"Nothing," I answered hurriedly, and turned my head slightly to look at him.

"Holy fuck," he grunted, cupping his forehead on one hand. "Like a fucking bullet in my fucking brain," he swung his legs out of bed briskly, he staggered slightly on the spot. He was ashen-faced; I looked at him, still cuffed to the bed.

"Fucking hell, it's gonna explode," he muttered, his eyes full of rage. "You still there? Out of my fucking sight! Disappear!" he snarled, looking at me. I instinctively tried to get up, but I was still restrained. He stomped to the desk and picked up the key, then wrenched the cuff from my ankle, scratching my skin in the process. I took my clothes from the ground as fast as I could and stormed out of the building.

I didn't stop walking until I reached the back of the cabin. Still shaken, I began to get dressed right there. I had to leave for a while, at least until he had calmed down a bit; I could sneak to the glade. I walked under the trees until I reached the little clearing and looked longingly at the rusty corrugated steel wall. I walked to it and kicked it with all my might.

Freedom was a few centimetres away from me, but I couldn't reach it. I sat with my back against the metal. I was starving, and I hadn't even gone to the toilet.

"He's raving mad," I thought, examining the torn skin from my ankle. "Fucking mental," I added in my mind. I would have never dared to speak those words aloud, for fear he would somehow hear me. My stomach growled pitifully, wanting food and water. That would have to wait, until the storm had passed.

I lingered there, feeling extremely impatient and nervous, tapping a foot rhythmically against the ground. Something red began to move between the emerald green leaves. The pirate came from them, he didn't look as pale and clammy as before.

"Why are you there?" he made a gesture with his arms, looking at me slightly confused. We looked at each other for a few seconds.

"You told me to disappear," I answered; he frowned slightly, then laughed raucously; I had to make an effort not to gawk at him. I remained there, sitting on the ground, while he laughed, eyes half-closed.

"Ok, chica, whatever. I'm fucking starving, go pick me one of those mangoes and some aspirin from the doc. Tell him I will go to his hut later," I got up and started walking, he swatted my thigh with one of his hands, smiling cheekily.

I huffed loudly when I was out of earshot, I couldn't comprehend his constant mood swings, and there was no way of anticipating how he would take anything. I treaded up the slope and mixed under the shadowy trees. The camp looked slightly busier than other days, some pirates carried long guns slung on their backs, walking towards the exit gate. I stopped in front of the canteen, deciding it would be best to pick breakfast after I had the aspirin.

I remembered the path from the other day, so finding it wouldn't be a problem. The air felt sticky around, and the weather was getting extremely hot. I pushed a few strands of hair out of my face, I would have to take another shower soon, and the stench from my tank was beginning to be unbearable. I would have to wash it…but I needed more clothes. An idea came up to my mind; I still had the rests from the other one, tattered and dirty, but I could wash it and then try to fix it. I would only need some thread and a needle.

However, I didn't have any sewing materials in my bag, and I would do anything before asking the pirate for that. Maybe the doctor would lend me some, he must have them, he was a doctor after all. That man looked nice enough, I could always try.

The improvised hospital was in front of me, I had walked rather fast. I raised my fist hesitantly, not knowing if the doctor was busy. Finally, I rapped the door softly. It opened, the doctor looked at me in surprise.

"Hello, does Vaas need me again?" he stepped aside to let me in.

"Well…truth is he said he would come later, he sent me for some aspiring for his headache," the older man rolled his eyes. He walked towards one of the metal cabinets against the walls.

"These pirates…they would end my supply of painkillers if I let them, I'm running low. However, I can't say no to the boss, not if I wish to keep all my limbs…" he made waved his hand in a resigned manner.

"He didn't look well this morning, and was rather pissed off…so, the sooner he gets well, the better for me," I commented.

"Mmmm, yeah, it's not wise to be on his range of fire when he isn't in a good mood, not even when he is. I'll give you something rather strong, it may make him feel sleepy, but it will help, and it will make things easier for you."

"Oh, thanks, really," I felt extremely grateful towards him. "Could…Could I ask you for something else? Do you have some thread and a needle? I really need to fix some clothes…" I trailed off.

"Of course," he said with a beam on his face, he went to the desk and opened one of the drawers, then pulled a bobbin of thread, he gave it to me, there was a needle tangled in it.

"Thanks a lot," I said, he put a little bottle of aspirins on my hand as well, I pocketed both things. "You can't imagine how grateful I feel, I would give them back to you as soon as I can," I couldn't help but smile, a rare thing those days, he smiled back.

"Don't worry about that, bring those to the boss," I set off for the cabin, saying goodbye as I exited. I trotted back to the cabin, feeling the weight of the things on my pocket. The front of the cabin was deserted.

"FUCKING USELESS PIECE OF JUNK!" hollered the pirate from inside. I entered hesitantly, nearly tiptoeing. The madman was jabbing furiously with a finger at the keyboard of the laptop. As if alerted by a sixth sense, he turned around, casting an infuriated glance towards me.

"About fucking time, puta!" he hissed, walking towards me. Fingers trembling like jelly, I reached for my pocket and grabbed the little bottle of aspirin, putting it in front of me as I was trying to ward off a vampire with a cross. He snatched it from my hand and walked to the fridge; he pulled a bottle of liquor from it, then he tipped a tablet on his hand and downed it with the liquid.

I didn't think it was really wise to mix alcohol with medicine, but it was his own decision, not mine; he could die as far as I was concerned. He left the bottle and stomped toward the steps, where he sat down heavily and grunted. I stayed put, looking at his back; he rubbed his head with his hands, messing his Mohawk.

I sat on the ground and took my shredded tank from under the table. I put it on my knees and began to thread the needle, it took me a while. I didn't know how to sew, but I had seen my grandmother doing it. I tried to make tight stitches, so it wouldn't tear easily. I ended up with a lot of irregular, crude knots down the front of my tank, making it tighter than before; but it would serve its purpose. Now I had to wash it, I got up at the same time as the pirate but, unlike him, I didn't stumble; he grabbed the threshold of the door, he was pale and sweaty, his eyes unfocused. He would have thrown me to the ground if I hadn't grabbed him before, clutching the back of his top clumsily. He grabbed my shoulders, trying to regain his footing.

"Fuck, I feel like I'm gonna puke," he breathed hoarsely. My knees were nearly bucking under his weight; I wouldn't hold for much longer, his skin was cold and clammy against mine.

"You should lie in bed…" you know, my voice strained.

"Are you fucking blind? If I move I will headfirst into the ground! Help me sit or something," I dragged both of us a few paces, but his foot caught in an irregularity of the floor and he fell backwards on the bed, pulling me with him in the process.

Our ribs crashed against each other, and I had been lucky enough to have my head to the side, or it would have collided against his. He pushed me off with a grunt; I remained there, trying to steady my breath.

"Should I fetch the doctor?" I asked nervously, he had his eyes closed tight.

"No, not yet; I will lie down for a bit, it's as if I was in a fucking rollercoaster or something," he grumbled.

"Ok then, I'll be outside," I said, getting ready to get up. However, he gripped my wrist before I could leave.

"No, you fucking stay here in case something happens and I need the doc," I exhaled through my nose, then sat on the bed with my back against the wall. We remained like this, him lying diagonally on the bed and me against the wall, throwing him glances from time to time. Bored to death, I began to bite my fingernails, I used to do it when I had nothing better at hand. However, I grew tired of that after a while, I started to doze off.

I woke up at some moment and looked instinctively at the fast asleep figure next to me. His head was turned to the side, I couldn't see his face. My stomach rumbled, I watched at him deep in thought, thinking if I should wake him up. However, he had been furious the other night, but if he was hungry when he woke up and I couldn't bring him food because it was late he would be angry too…Maybe I could just take my chances.

I tapped him softly in the shoulder, he didn't react at all, not even a grunt.

"Vaas," I said in a loud voice. "It's late, want something to eat?"

No response, he just lay there; I tapped his shoulder harder. Nothing, what happened? Was he dead? A mixture of sensations overwhelmed me; dread for what would happen if he was dead indeed and the pirates discovered it, and relief because the monster could be gone.

"Vaas?" I shook his shoulder, to little avail. "Shit," I spat out, I put a hand against his heart, straining to feel some heartbeat. The fucking idiot had to mix painkillers and alcohol, how could anyone be so stupid? Oh, there it was, the heartbeat; I sighed, feeling relieved and slightly disappointed at the same time.

"What's the fucking matter now?" he turned his head to me, eyes still half-closed. My hand was still on his chest, I took it away as if I had been burned.

"I was just wondering if you wanted something to eat," I said hesitantly; he raised an eyebrow, he looked slightly surprised. He stood up with a grunt and looked through the window, as if trying to guess the time of the day.

"Turns out I'm hungry, yeah; go fetch food then," he strolled out of the cabin. I jumped out of bed behind him and walked down the hill.

He looked in much better spirits; I cared for his wellbeing and happiness as much as he cared for mine, but it was convenient for me to have him in a good mood. I joined the queue and waited patiently for my turn to come.

I faced the cooker grimly with the two dishes in front of me, he ignored me on purpose for a whole minute, pretending to clean a knife with his dirty apron. My stretched out arms were beginning to feel numb. Seeing that I didn't plan on leaving, he snatched the dishes and filled them, I left without saying a word.

While I left, I felt someone behind me, I turned around. It was the Colombian pirate from the other day; he had tanned skin and cropped hair, he was on the burly side; most probably a brutish arrogant with more muscle than brains.

"Are you going to eat just that? Because I have a nice big sausage for you if you want," he said, I couldn't help but smirk.

"I'd probably end up as hungry as before, so no, thanks," I sneered.

Other pirates had been hearing our conversation, they whistled and laughed at my comeback. The smile slipped off his face and changed into fury and humiliation; I smiled triumphantly. However, he wouldn't be affronted by a girl like me and just stay there. His hand flew to my face and backhanded me harshly; some of the pirates laughed raucously and others looked among themselves with a worried expression.

"Let's see if you smile so much when I take you to the boss, bitch," he threw the dishes I still held to the ground and grabbed my arm painfully hard. He dragged me roughly to the hill, the stinging sensation from his slap hot on my face; I pulled, trying to free myself from him.

"Now you don't look so happy, don't you, hoe?" he leered, I remained in silence, looking at the top of the hill grimly.

Vaas was sitting on the steps, scratching his fingers. He looked up with a confused frown when he saw me and the other pirate.

"What's the matter, hermano? " that gorilla released me and pushed me in front of him, I tried hard to keep my balance.

"Your little puta, she insulted me," he pointed at me with one of his thick fingers.

"Chica, what did you tell him?" asked the pirate, looking with curiosity.

"I had little food on my plate, and he said that he had a nice big sausage for me if I wanted; I rejected it saying that I'd probably end as hungry as before. Then he hit me," the pirate lord raised an eyebrow, then got up and laughed softly.

"Well, hermana, you can't go around insulting people in their face, don't you think?" He said in a good-natured tone. I kept my face expressionless, he didn't look pissed off.

"Yeah, that's what I thought boss, she deserved to be put on her place," said the other pirate, encouraged by his superior's reaction.

"Yes, that's right," laughed Vaas. Then, he whipped out his gun out of his holster and a loud shot echoed through the jungle, the other pirate shrieked in pain and fell to the ground, gripping his thigh tightly.

"But…But boss!" screamed the man in pain. It was really strange seeing such a bulky man crumpled on the floor like a child with an injured knee.

"So…you fucking think you can do whatever the hell you want? Huh? Did I give you permission to touch her, to talk to her? Hmmm?" he growled, his face contorted in rage, making ample gestures with the arm that held his weapon.

"Ok, Ok, I should have asked," sobbed the man, trying to contain the blood with his hands, it seeped between his fingers like a little river.

"SAY YOU ARE SORRY! Tell her you are sorry for hitting her and calling her puta!" snarled Vaas, pushing the pistol against the pirate's wounded leg.

"Please! Please! Please! Forgive me!" howled the pirate at the top of his lungs.

"That's better," hissed Vaas, then put the cannon against the pirate's head.

BUM

The man's face looked full of surprise and betrayal, while his head was surrounded by a growing halo of blood. The crimson liquid began to dye the green grass; we stood there in silence.

"Fucking prick," added the pirate with disgust. "Michael! Come the fuck down and take this shit to the main camp!" he screamed to one of the pirates on the nearby towers. Said man climbed down the ladder hurriedly, other pirate appeared from the other tower to help him lift the corpse from the ground by its arms and feet.

"Main camp, boss?" said one of the pirate, if he was confused he hid it very well behind his aviator sunglasses.

"Yes, to the canteen zone; I'm going with you, I want to tell something to the others," he said coldly, his anger under control. "You stay here," he said turning his head in my direction. He started walking with his men behind him holding the dead man.

I remained there, aghast. He had really killed one of his men in cold blood, just for slapping his captive without permission. And the strange thing was that he had admitted that the pirate was right, that I shouldn't have insulted him. I sat on the steps to wait for him, my face still sore from the slap; would he punish me after this for insulting one of his men? He hadn't looked angry before, but that could change very easily.

He appeared a few minutes later, he carried two new dishes; I thought he would make me go for food again after he came back. I stood up and scanned with my eyes for a place to sit, as my usual place was drenched in blood. He pushed the dish into my hands and sat on the steps.

"You can stay where you are, chica, I don't mind," he said, sinking the fork on the stew. "I don't bite," he said with an impish grin.

Decided to trying to keep him in a good mood as long as possible, I sat on a higher step, nearly on the edge of the plank. We began to eat, it was a very strong meat, maybe goat.

"I gotta say you've got some balls, hermana. You should have known he wasn't going to accept whatever you got to say," he commented, chewing a piece of meat.

"He shouldn't have spoken to me on the first place," I replied, stabbing a bit of meat with the dull fork.

"No, he shouldn't. Why did you snap? You always have a grip on yourself when I talk dirty to you," he asked, looking in my direction keenly.

"I suppose I had had enough, he had been telling me things while we were queuing," he grunted in acquiescence and kept eating in silence.

I finished, he put his plate on my lap, next to mine. I left for the canteen; the trail had a little trail of blood on some places, it must have been from the dead pirate when he was taken down. I left the dishes, two pirates in a corner looked at me with hostility from the wall of one of the shanties; I held their gaze, but said nothing, I left as swiftly as I had come.

The pirate sat on the steps, he had lit a cigar and was biting the end with gusto. It amazed and horrified me at equal parts how calm he looked after having killed someone, one of his own men. I looked at the patch of blood-stained ground, seeing so much red reminded me of my mended tank, I could wash it now; anything to distract me.

I entered into the shack and picked the piece of clothing and my bottle of gel, then got to the shower booth. I rubbed it for a long while, trying to wash the splatters of blood from Keller's nose. My hands ended up covered in pinkish foam from the mixture of blood and soap. The stitches were strong, I noticed, even if they were irregular and clumsily made. When I finished I put it on the branch and took the bra and the shorts I had put the other day. They were clean albeit slightly stiff.

I got back to the shanty, the pirate sat on the ground, his back propped against the wall, still smoking. I tucked the clothes under the bed and picked up the book, then sat on the steps, at some distance from the cabin and concentrated on the book. However, I had the impression that the shot from before exploded on my ears every time I heard a stronger or sudden noise.

"Hey chica, leave that and come with me," I looked at him in confusion. "You heard me, come on, I don't have all the fucking day," I left the book on the steps and followed him.

He walked with long strides, I eyed him, what the hell did he want now? We kept walking, with me behind him, we walked past the canteen, there was a dried puddle of blood on the ground, probably from the pirate from before. He didn't say a word the whole time, I felt a tinge of fear inside me, was he pissed off at me for something?

We went through the labyrinth of huts, the pirates looked at me sideways, as if they didn't want to be seen doing it by Vaas. I realized we were nearing the cage zone, suspicions rose even more inside me.

The people inside looked half dead, dirty and desperate. They gawked at me or looked without seeing anything, eyes unfocused and glassy. A man scratched the dry ground distractedly, digging a shallow hole in the process, as if preparing his own tomb. Two women squabbled over a half-empty bottle of murky water, pulling at each other's hair and scratching, two pirates goaded them to attack at each other.

We were getting near my old cage; had he grown tired of me and decided to put me into a cage again? My mind struggled between the idea of getting far from that vicious man and being in such a miserable place, hungry and exposed to the violence of the other pirates.

We finally reached the cage I had shared with Sarah and the old man; there was a lone figure in it, the man looked asleep, I noticed a tiny figure cradled in his arms.

"Hey, you! Wake the fuck up, old geezer!" screamed Vaas. The man raised his head swiftly, confusion and fear in his eyes. His arms tightened around the little girl, who began mewling in annoyance, it was a pitifully feeble sound.

"You, get inside and pick the baby," he commanded to me, he opened the padlock an opened the door. I looked at him like stupefied; he pushed me impatiently into the cage. "Come on, fucking move."

I walked slowly to the old man, he gripped the girl even harder and looked at Vaas defiantly.

"What are you going to do with her? You already separated her from her mother; she's just a child, for God's sake!" he said indignantly.

"Don't stick your nose in things don't concern you, you fucking piece of shit! Give the baby to the girl before I slice you open!" growled the pirate, taking his knife out and pointing it at the old man. The man didn't look ready to relent; sensing danger, I decided to intervene.

"Give me the baby, he will kill you and take her anyway if you don't," the man clenched his jaw stubbornly. "I will take care of her, I promise," I said, though there was no way of knowing to which extent I would be able to keep that promise.

"She's right, hurry up," snarled Vaas from the other side of the cage. The man looked at me intently for a few seconds, he offered me the little girl; we stared at each other in the eye for a moment.

I held the baby against my chest and walked out of the cage, the pirate slammed the door close and locked it again. I looked at the old man one last time and I left behind the pirate. The baby wasn't dirty, but grimy; her blond hair filthy and her white skin smudged in dirt. The poor thing felt too light on my arms, she had been heavier the other days I had to pick her; the old man had kept her alive by giving her his food, but she needed to be properly fed.

What did he want to do with her? Was he going to kill her because she was of no use to him or something? And what did he want me for? Was he going to kill me as well? He walked fast, moving with long strides, swaying his arms slightly. We kept at that pace for a few minutes, the baby looked lethargic in my arms, leaning her head against my shoulder.

We had arrived to the doctor's hut, the pirate entered directly without knocking, I followed suit. The doctor was inside taking notes on a paper; he looked at us trying to hide his surprise; he left the pen and the paper.

"Is there a problem Vaas?" he asked cautiously.

"Nah, man. I just want to see Blondie, I'm going to get her out of bed," he replied in an offhand way.

"You brought the baby? Is she ok?" The doctor walked to me and examined the baby behind his thin metallic glasses; I allowed him to pick her up. "She's suffering from malnutrition, needs proper food," a stern rictus appeared on his face at the baby's state.

"Yeah, whatever, give her back to the girl and take us to the mother, fast," replied the pirate, sounding annoyed. The man offered me the baby and I picked her up; the doctor opened a door at the end of the room and we followed him. It was an ample, well lit room, full of rickety albeit clean beds; there were tables with surgical instrument too. At the end of the place there was a figure sitting on a bed, blond dishevelled hair covering their face.

We got to the figure, I had to stifle a gasp when I saw Sarah's face. She didn't seem to have acknowledged our presence; her eyes were glassy and stared at the sheets that covered her. Her fine nose was a lot bigger and lumpy, swollen and slightly bruised. Even her face looked strangely askew, asymmetrical, with bulges protruding in places where they shouldn't. The older man cleared his throat.

"Sarah…there…there is someone who wants to see you," he said, the woman raised her eyes to us, first to the doctor, then to Vaas, and finally to the baby and me. She looked dazed at first, but then a pair of tears rolled down her face and her mouth split into a grin.

"My girl, my little girl…" she muttered, eyes full of tears and joy. But then, her face changed, it contorted itself into a wild grimace of wrath and loathing, fear and pain.

"YOU FUCKING WHORE, GET YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF MY BABY!" she jumped out of bed with unexpected agility and rushed to me, teeth bared and glistening with saliva. Someone stepped in before she reached me; Vaas grabbed her by the neck, he looked livid with rage.

"Don't you dare touch her, puta. Now, calm the fuck down and sit where you were," he hissed, his face next to hers.

"SHE'S A FUCKING BETRAYING WHORE, SHE THINKS SHE'S BETTER THAN ME JUST BECAUSE SHE WON AND SHE'S SUCKING YOUR DICK!" she yelled, her bloodshot eyes fixed on me. That last comment incensed me, I clenched my teeth.

"FUCK YOU! Better that than having a shitty face and waiting to be whored out to the whole camp, bitch!" I snarled, yearning to shut her mouth with a punch.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! BOTH OF YOU!" roared the pirate, glowering at me; he turned to look at the doctor. "I don't know, doc, today it's as if everyone was trying to piss me off or something."

He pushed the woman roughly over the bed and took a deep breath.

"Ok, now you will fucking listen to me, if I hear a fucking word I will slap the shit out of whoever it was, understood?" he said this very slowly and remarked every syllable of what he said, he kept looking at me.

"Your face looks like shit, for real, I don't think I would fuck you even if you were the last woman on fucking Earth," he said, looking at Sarah. "But my men are getting tired of waiting, and a promise is a promise, you know? I'm a man of honour and all that shit. They can always turn you around if they don't want to see your mug, I don't give a fuck. The thing is…you are getting your ass out of bed and starting tonight making my men happy."

Sarah looked at me the whole time in mutinous silence, the baby was nervous between my arms, maybe because of the screams or because her mother was near.

"But I will be a good guy and I will let you have your baby, as long as you shag my men…if you don't, if I hear any complaint from my men I will cut her little throat in front of you and then kill you. Get it? It's fucking easy, Blondie; you fuck, you have your baby. She can stay with the doc while you are… _working_ ," he smiled malevolently at her.

"What about my face? Look what did your little whore to me!" the woman pointed at her nose, looking at me with hatred.

"Yeah, I know, not fucking blind. Shame, but I there's nothing I can do," the pirate scratched the back of his neck, and then he looked at me. "Well, get dressed and I will take you to the main area; you, chica, give the baby to the doc," ordered the pirate.

I did as he said, the doctor went to the other room with the baby and came back with a bundle of clothes, he gave them to Sarah. The doctor and I looked pointedly to another part to give the woman some privacy, though Vaas didn't even bother, eyeing her with mild interest. A few minutes passed until we finished; she had been given the clothes she had worn before, dirty and now baggy over her thinner frame.

The pirate grabbed the woman by the arm and pulled from her out of the room, I followed them. We walked for a while, Sarah dragging her feet behind the pirate, as if she was being taken to the gallows. The pirate turned to me at some moment.

"Hermana, get back to the shanty, I have to go to the main area with Blondie to make an announcement to the guys," I nodded and saw them take a different lane; I walked slowly to the shanty.

She was going let herself be given to those filthy men, like a hunk of meat to a pack of hyenas, all for her baby's sake. I felt I had no right to complain about my situation, better that madman than a hundred men like the one Vaas had killed that same day. I could have been her; I could be the one with the ruined face, being led to work as a sex slave. I sunk my teeth into my lip, hoping the physical pain would numb the guilt that engulfed me; even if it was the only thing I could have done, I had never felt so much remorse in my life.

I reached the top of the hill and sat on a rock, looking into the jungle, impassible and merciless, feeding from our suffering, not caring if we lived or die. I saw movement and heard screams from the pirates in the distance, in an open area; I supposed they were deciding who would be the first to have sex with Sarah. Disgusted, I left the rock and walked to the back of the shack; I looked at the mirror that hung there.

The scratches on my neck had practically healed, there were only four reddish lines on my skin. A sad girl inspected me from the mirror, her wounded lips pursed into a tight line. Her gaze was tired and fearful, purplish bags hung under them.

I felt dirty, maybe I could have a shower, it would do me good. I went automatically into the shack, taking my things and dragging my feet back to the shower. I hung my clothes over the door and made sure the door was in its place; the icy water soothed my burning skin. I couldn't help but feel sticky from the heat of the jungle, I wasn't really used to it.

Each drop felt like a cold tiny pinprick on my skin, I stood there for countless minutes, watching the water slide between my toes and to the planks on the ground and feeling the cold liquid on my skin. My body felt clean but my mind…it was tainted, adulterated, muddled. As if someone had introduced something alien and I couldn't get rid of it. I dressed, slipping the two clean pieces of clothing I had, I would be able to wear the other one the following day.

I entered into the shack barely acknowledging how I even got there. The pirate was nowhere to be seen; maybe he had stayed with the pirates and had decided to have a round with the other woman. He had said he wouldn't have sex with her even if she was the last woman on Earth, but you could never know how or when he would change his mind. I sat on the bed and looked absentmindedly at the top of the fridge. The pirate had left the little bottle of aspirins there; it would have served him right if he had died in the morning after mixing them with alcohol, at least Sarah wouldn't be forced to…I gulped, I couldn't even bring myself to think about it.

I don't know why I did it, but I got up and reached for the little container. I tipped one of the tablets on my hand and introduced it into my mouth, then downed it with some of the stale water from the bottle. I took my clothes off, leaving my tank and panties and curled into a ball on my side of the bed, hoping to erase everything.

 


	10. Chapter 10- Sweat

**Hi again! I'm back :)**

**Tenth chapter at last!** **Thanks to the people who is reading this story, it's really nice knowing that something on which I put a lot of effort is appreciated :)**

**This chapter contains some mild BDSM, gunplay and knifeplay, a rather explicit sexual scene and some of the comments from the pirates are rather nasty.**

**I do not own Far Cry nor none of its characters.**

**I hope you enjoy this update and feel free to contact or point out anything you want :)**

* * *

 

I woke up feeling fingers on my scalp, tracing erratic patterns on my skin, zig-zags, and spirals. I didn’t have to turn my head to know it was the pirate, petting my head as if I was a dog. I stayed there, curled on the mattress, not wanting to let him know that I was awake. I could perceive smoke on the air, it wasn’t regular tobacco, but marijuana. He kept drawing circles over my temple with his forefinger.

“I know you are awake, hermana,” he said in a low and sleepy voice.

“How did you know?” I asked, he scoffed as if it was obvious.

“You were relaxed and then you tensed up, you always do when I get near,” there was a mildly reproachful tone in his voice.

His fingers left my scalp and slid behind my ear, I felt goose bumps rising on my skin at the contact. They trailed lazily down my neck, I just stood there; breathing in and out. How else did he expect me to react? He was insane, he was my kidnapper; a man who would kill me if he had the chance. The silence felt really awkward, at least for me; the question was if I should break it.

“Can’t you sleep?”  I ventured, still curled on my side, he had caught a strand of hair between his fingers and was toying with it, winding it around one finger, pulling.

“No, I needed to think. I have many things in my head, and a good joint in the night before sleeping always helps me relax. It’s like when your fucking brain feels so full it’s going to explode. Ever felt that way?”

“Yeah,” I muttered; I usually felt like that these days, or when I had many things to do.

“What do you do when you feel like that?” I lay on my back, so I could look at the ceiling; I looked at him sideways. He was sitting on bed with his back against the wall, holding the joint in one hand and pulling at my hair slightly with the other. I could see the little ember of the joint. He put it to his lips and inhaled; the tiny light glowed brighter, lighting his face for an instant.

“I try to think about other things, some exercise, reading. I don’t know, it depends,” I said.

“I know some exercise that could relax me, if you know what I mean…” he left the sentence unfinished, of course I knew what he meant.

“I can’t see your face, but I can imagine it; teasing you is really funny,” he chuckled in amusement. We lingered there for a minute or so, the only sound that broke the silence were the noises from the jungle.

“What did you feel?” he asked bluntly.

“When?” I frowned in confusion.

“During the fight, when you were on the ground, when the other bitch was about to finish you off,” Why would he ask me such a thing right now?

“I don’t know. Everything was so fast and confusing; I think I didn’t want to be defeated, I had fear of…being given to your men. Then, when I overpowered…Sarah, I only felt rage, I wanted to hurt her. After that…it was as if I was someone else, as if someone had possessed my body and was using it to hit her. I have never felt something like that in my whole life, then I realized what I had done.”

He said nothing, he remained there, still as a statue. I waited on tenterhooks, wondering if he would say anything. He gave one last drag to the joint and left it on the ashtray on the crate. He only wore his boxers, I noticed. Deciding it was time to sleep, I curled on my side again and relaxed. He shifted positions until he found the right one.

 

I felt something against my back, a hard body pressed against it. A hand was moving around, touching every part it reached. The pirate grunted slightly, his hand moved around, exploring my body, down to my stomach and then my legs. My cheeks burnt, I remained as still as possible, his hard fingers against my soft skin.  He chortled softly behind my neck.

“What’s so funny?” I whispered, trying to take my thoughts away from his hands.

“That’s a fucking nice way of waking up, don’t you think, guapa?” he said, his mouth beside my ear.

“Yeah, I suppose,” I said noncommittally.

“Don’t girls usually like cuddling and shit like that?” he questioned; I weighed my answer carefully, he wanted me to answer.

“They usually like it when it is with their boyfriend, not a man they barely know,” I said in a low voice, he laughed; I felt relieved. But then, he pulled me harder against him.

“Well, that can be solved. Maybe we could get to know each other right now…” his hand slid up my legs until his fingers brushed my panties, I squirmed uncomfortably in turn. He laughed hoarsely while his thumb hooked on the waistband of my panties.

His other arm slid under me and pulled my body against his with a tight grip while his hand slid under my panties. His fingers spread my lips slightly, I tried to kick him in the shins with my free foot.

“Stop fucking playing around, bitch,” he hissed against my ear while his hand rose to my neck and curled his fingers around it. “Remember who’s boss here or I will have to remind you, and you won’t like it at all…I will, though,” he added.

His fingers sunk between my labia; I could feel his erection pressed against my buttocks. I clenched my jaw when I felt his mouth pressing a kiss against my skin.

“It’s so fucking hot and wet…What is it, chica? Been having wet dreams tonight, hmmm? Did you dream…with me?” he mumbled against my ear. His fingers slid to my clitoris, rolling it between them, I wriggled in his grasp.

“Fuck you,” I spat under my breath, feeling disgusted at the thought; hearing his low malevolent chuckle made me regret saying it.

“Tsk, Tsk, you shouldn’t say that, maybe I should punish you for it. I’m in a playful mood, though…so, let’s play a little game I have had in mind for a while, OK?” he pressed his mouth against my jawline and took his arms away from me, then got up from bed. I looked at him from the corner of my eye and observed how he walked to the desk, then he went to the cuff and opened it. I looked at him with a growing sensation of dread.

“Take off your top and cover your eyes with it,” he ordered, pointing at my chest. I stood there, my elbows holding me up slightly, watching him full of fear. What did he mean with “little game”? I wouldn’t like it, that was for sure.

“Why?” I blurted out stupidly. “No fucking way,” I added, a cruel smile grew on his lips, flashing his teeth at me.

“My men liked having the other bitch yesterday…but…I think they’d be even happier if they had a pretty girl like you without a broken face. So, if you don’t take off your fucking shirt…I will drag you to them and let them fuck you as much as they want. Would you like that?” he smiled even more when he saw my expression.

I feared what he would do, but I considered him the lesser of two evils, almost anything was better than the other option. I sat upright and took my tank off, his eyes gleamed darkly when my breasts spilled out of the fabric. I folded the shirt length-wise so it would end up as a thick strip of cloth, then wrapped it around my eyes and tied a knot behind my head.

“Good,” I heard him walk towards me and then felt his hands on the back on my head, tightening the knot even more. Then he pushed me over the bed and moved away. The next thing I sensed was metal clinking; he grabbed my hand and something metallic and cold encircled my wrist. I gasped when I understood, he was going to handcuff me to the bed, I felt something in my stomach, and they weren’t butterflies precisely. He raised my arm above my head and took the other to the metal bars, chaining me to the bed.

I heard footsteps walking away from me, I tried to breathe in and out regularly, straining my ear to hear what he was doing. I lay there, blindfolded, secured to the bed, covered by some skimpy panties, vulnerable under his gaze. He was making me nervous, not saying anything, not making a sound.

“What…what are you doing? What do you want” there was a more than perceptible note of fear in my voice, my arms were quivering slightly.

“Don’t worry, guapa. I was just enjoying the view, a nice fucking view…there’s still something, though.” I heard a few thumps on the floor. Then something hooked on both sides of my panties and began to pull down, peeling them off from my skin.

I gasped when I realised I was totally naked.  I felt his warm hand on my thigh, rising towards my chest, he stopped at my left breast and fondled it lightly. Then he let his hand resting there.

“That’s so much better. Your heart is going really fast, are you frightened?” he muttered, the pressure on my chest increased, as if he was trying to feel it even more.

“Yes,” I swallowed. Of course I was frightened; I was defenceless before him, naked and restrained. That lunatic could do anything he wanted and I would have to lie there and take it, hoping it would pass soon.

“We’re just going to play a little game, ok? It’s a guessing game, I touch you with something and you have to guess what it is. If you get it wrong…well, I will think of that when it happens, far more interesting, don’t you think?” I bit my lower lip, my muscles tensed in anticipation and dread.

Something brushed my lips slightly, tickling them, my head twitched at the sensation. Whatever it was circled them softly, barely touching the sensitive skin.

“What is that?” asked the pirate in a low voice.

“Your finger?” I wondered, hoping I was right.

“Very good,” he chortled approvingly. The sensation on my mouth disappeared, I heard him walking away from me, my heartbeat subsided a bit. I flinched when I felt something cold on my thigh, it glided over my skin towards my nether parts. It was something metallic and heavy, with rounded corners. I gasped when he pressed it against my outer lips; I tried to get away from the cold sensation. After that, he took it away and allowed the object to rest over my stomach, it felt extremely heavy.

“And that?”

“Your gun?” my voice trembled ever so slightly when I said it. He lifted the object away from my body.

“Yeah,” I heard him walking towards the desk. I heard something creaking open and a clinking sound. He came back and something icy cold touched my right breast. I winced slightly, he laughed under his breath at my reaction. Did he like seeing me in this situation? Probably yes.

 He put something cold and cylindrical against my mouth, it felt like the mouth of a bottle, then he tipped it against my half-open lips. I spluttered when I felt the alcoholic liquid falling into my mouth, sliding from the corners onto my neck.

“Hey, don’t spill it all over,” he said sternly, delivering a hard slap against my thigh and putting the bottle away. “What was that?”

“Alcohol,” I coughed, making a grimace at the flavour.

“Right, what kind of alcohol?” he asked. How was I supposed to know that? As far as I knew, it could be vodka or gin, but I wasn’t sure.

“Errrr…Vodka?” I bit my lower lip, hoping I had guessed right.

“Wow, chica, you are good at this,” he said in amazement. The next thing I felt was metallic too, thin and cold, he brushed it over my midriff and pressed its fine edge over me. My body twitched in that moment and I felt it sinking slightly into my skin, hurting me; I yelped in pain.

“Careful there, we don’t want to hurt you,” the metallic object disappeared. Warm and wet blood seeped from the little wound, I felt his fingers wiping it away. The metallic blade came back to my breasts, he pressed the flat side over my nipple; I tried not to move, he passed to the other after a while.

“And that?” he left the blade over my nipple as some kind of sadistic clue of what it was.

“Your switchblade,” I answered tensely. I sighed in relief when the sensation on my breast ceased, I heard him leaving it over the crate next to the bed. My body lost some tension, and I allowed myself to breathe deeply, I unclenched my fists.

However, my relief was short-lived, because then I began to feel something warm over me. His hand trailed between my breasts, allowing his fingers to be dragged over it. When he pushed his fingers between my legs my fists clenched again. I could do nothing but lie there and take it, I inhaled sharply through my mouth when he entered me with one finger. I could sense him near me, probably crouching next to me; he was breathing through his nose and I could feel the heat from his body.

“And this, what do you feel, hmmm?” he mumbled huskily, he pressed with his thumb on my bundle of nerves while he moved his finger in and out slowly.

“Your hand,” I muttered.

“Well, that one was really easy,” he said in an amused tone. All the time he kept with what he was doing; my face felt hot from the blood that was rushing there. I squirmed while I felt his fingers inside me, I bit my lips trying not to moan, hoping to block out the pleasure. He was masturbating me in the same way as he had done in the river, and I ended up having an orgasm. I didn’t want to have another one in front of him, it felt humiliating being so vulnerable in front of him.

“Like it?” he said in a hoarse voice, I clenched my jaw and gritted my teeth.

“No, I don’t,” I tried to say as firmly as I could. He just laughed.

“You can lie to yourself and say “no” all you want, sweetheart. But this…” his fingers left my cleft and he put them against my cheek, they felt hot and moist. “This doesn’t lie,” he concluded. I felt my cheeks burning with shame and anger.

Something wet and hot encircled my nipple, I gasped and tried to move away, he just grabbed me around the hips. He bit the little bud hard, I groaned in pain and tried to shake him off, but he was far stronger than me.  He sucked the nipple into his mouth while he used his other hand to roll the other between his fingers. He changed places, his body nearly pinning mine; he gave the same treatment to the other, biting and suckling harshly.

He leaned against me and rose until his mouth met mine. He pushed my lips open and grabbed the back of my neck with one hand so I couldn’t move. His tongue ran over my chapped lips, teasing them; he used his other hand to touch my body while he kissed me roughly.

His mouth separated from mine, he hovered over me.

“And what was that?”

“Your mouth,” I mumbled, feeling defeated and tired.

“You won, chica, now I should give you a reward,” he said with a low chuckle. My stomach twisted, I did not want any reward, being released would be more than enough for me.

I felt him getting up, we remained silent from a few seconds. I squawked in surprise when my legs were grabbed and dragged to the edge of the bed. I felt his hands over me, trying to steady my flailing legs.

“Calm the fuck down, hermana,” he pinched my left buttock harshly. He held my ankles with his strong hands, pushing them apart. I felt them being put on something warm and soft, I realized they were his shoulders. He opened my legs even further, pulling from me so we were nearer. I blushed even deeper when I guessed what he meant with “reward”; I felt his breath near my inner thigh.

“Don’t worry, you’ll like it,” he said in a low voice while he got a better grip on me. My legs dangled over his shoulders while he got hold of my hips. He bit my inner thigh, I tried to drag myself away, but he just pressed me harder against the bed; he did the same to the other, this time even harder. Then he licked my cleft nearly from the lower end to the top, very slowly. I gasped and grabbed the chain that held the cuffs, he laughed between my legs.

I felt his mouth on me again, he pushed his tongue between my folds until he reached my clitoris. I squirmed and grunted in protest, he punished me by biting the little organ and I jolted against him in response.

“Why the fuck do you do this?” I groaned, trying to block out the sensations between my legs.

“Seeing you squirming and writhing is fucking funny, you know?” he said, grasping my hips even harder. “What, then, don’t you like it? Aren’t my skills good enough for you?” he asked in a dark tone.

“How can you expect me to like it?” I whispered.

“But you DO like it, honey. You’re dripping wet,” he added in a triumphant tone. He came back to his torturing task; he moved his tongue around my clit, teasing it, using his teeth to nibble from time to time. It was useless to resist, I was chained to that damned frame and he would just grab me tighter or punish me. I tried to take my mind away from the sensations, but being blindfolded had sharpened my other senses and it was as if I could feel everything twice as much.

His hands left my hips and reached my breasts, he kneaded and pinched them while he busied himself between my thighs. His back under my calves felt hard, his coarse goatee pressed against me and his calloused hands caressing my body. He kept with what he did, increasing his pace; one of his hands left my breasts and went to my slit. He pushed two of his fingers inside of me, moving them fast while he kept licking and biting. I stifled a gasp and arched, which pushed me harder against him.

My face burned, my whole body felt on fire; I gritted my teeth trying to hide the moans of pleasure that tried to escape. I did not want that, it should be feeling horrible but…my body had decided not to interpret it that way. A thin film of sweat had begun to appear on my face to cool me down from the sticky tropical heat. My body arched and I spasmed, every little fibre of muscle felt like a tensed wire; I bit my lips and grabbed the bars of the headboard. Everything disappeared for a few seconds and was substituted by a feeling of total bliss and abandon.

I slumped against the bed, he let my legs fall and got up, then began to open my cuffs. He pulled from me roughly, forcing me to get up. I staggered slightly, my legs felt like jelly, he untied the top and threw it to the ground, then grabbed my head and clutched my lips with his. I could feel my own taste on his mouth, he released me after a few seconds.

He smirked at me lewdly, his skin flushed and eyes burning with hunger. I just felt too shocked at that moment.

“Well, guapa. Now you should return the favour, don’t you think?” he raised his eyebrows. I blushed even more.

“W…What?” I stammered. He snorted in annoyance.

“I want a fucking blowjob. I have gone down on you, it’s the least you could do,” he spat.

“I didn’t ask for it,” I retorted defensively, trying to recoil.

“OK, then…” he said, he turned around; I gawked at him, not quite believing how fast he had relented. However, all of a sudden, he grabbed my arm and began to pull from me. “We will go to the main area and you will suck my men,” I pulled from his arm frantically.

“OK! OK! I’LL SUCK YOU OFF!!” I yelled. He stopped dragging and looked at me smugly.

“You’re so easy to convince,” he said, unable to conceal his satisfaction. “What the fuck are you waiting for, then?” he growled. I glared at the floor and knelt, was I really going to do it? Would I be able to?

“What’s the matter, first time?” I looked at his face, he was smiling at me cruelly.

“No,” I said through gritted teeth. Feeling about to burst with anger, I hooked my hand on the waistband of his boxers and pulled down, looking at him defiantly. His member sprang free, hard and ready; I felt even more nervous, like a virgin.

“Come on, put my cock in your mouth. And no teeth, ok?” he urged me. I couldn’t believe I was really going to do it, I closed my eyes and opened my mouth, then let it slide inside.

 I had already had oral sex before, and it didn’t feel any different, but the problem was that it was HIM. I pushed it further into my mouth, he groaned in pleasure; then, he clasped a few strands of my hair and made me move my head up and down. I got the gist and continued on my own, my face burning with shame. I used my tongue to lick his shaft while my lips encircled him; he seemed to grow impatient again and grabbed both sides of my head, pushing me against him. I began to gag and tried to push him away, his penis blocking my windpipe, he just pushed me harder until my nose was against his pelvis. He released me and I coughed violently, inhaling big gasps of air.

When I stopped he pushed himself inside of my mouth again and put his hands to the sides of my head, moving it. He was going fast, I had to grab his hips to keep my balance. He groaned under his breath and I felt him tensing up, thrusting himself inside fast and hard. Unexpectedly, something hot and salty was squirted over my tongue. He grunted and spasmed, holding me against him so I wouldn’t get away. He let me go when he ended coming and sat heavily on the mattress.

I ran like the wind towards the door, wrenched it open and spat the hot load inside my mouth, grimacing in disgust. I tried to get that horrible taste out of my mouth to no avail, not even minding my nakedness.

He laughed from the inside at my reaction, I looked at the ground full of hatred. Then walked to my clothes, purposely ignoring him; I dressed as fast as I could and marched to the back of the shanty with my toothbrush and paste.

“Go grab breakfast, ok?” he yelled before I left.

When I was at the back, I smashed my fist against the door of the booth, hurting my knuckles. I brushed my teeth frantically, until my gums felt sore and began to bleed slightly. I swished my mouth three times before I felt clean again. I stomped into the camp, swearing that if any of those animals got near or tried to taunt me I would rip their hearts out. I had never been angrier, and I could do nothing to get back at Vaas, unless I wanted to die. I snatched two mangoes, I was getting a bit tired of bananas; I ran back to the shack, he would get impatient otherwise.

He was sitting on the steps smoking a cigarette in a satisfied manner. “Must like smoking after sex, the motherfucker,” I thought sulkily; I thrust the mango to him and sat far from that man, looking at the camp. I was too proud to ask him for a knife or something to peel the fruit, so I did it in a really clumsy way with my nails. I shredded the sticky skin away and bit the fleshy inside, chewing fast.

The little wound on my midriff had been bothering me for a while, and some blood had stained the grey tank. I should clean it before it got infected; I finished the mango and headed for my things in the shack, ignoring Vaas when he tried to jokingly grab my ankle to make me trip. At least he was in a good mood, but the price for it hadn’t been easy to pay. I needed a shower urgently, so I picked up the dried clothes on the branch and got into the booth.

I took off my clothes, on my midriff there was clotted blood smeared around the tiny wound. I cleaned it with water and soap, flinching at the stinging sensation, then covered it with plaster. I opened the tap and groaned in relief when the cold water soaked my skin. I washed myself thoroughly, it was as if I could still feel his fingers, his mouth on my body, taunting me into some unexpected reaction. I hoped he wouldn’t try and disturb me while I was having a shower. I had given him what he wanted, much to my chagrin.

“Why should you complain? It was just a fucking blowjob; he could have wanted to have sex, but you were lucky. At least you haven’t met the same fate as Sarah,” a horrible image came to my mind: I was lying naked and spread-eagled on a dirty mattress in some dingy shanty, a broken doll to be used countless times. I shivered in fear and disgust when I imagined having to endure the whole bunch of dirty pirates laying their hands on me.

Once my body was clean, I got dressed. I put on the clean bra, mended tank and faded but clean short jeans; I would have to wash my panties, I only had these. I untangled my hair in front of the mirror, tearing at the snags that had formed, then pushed my mane out of the way and walked to the front of the shanty. The pirate was still sitting there, he threw me an appraising look and a smile curled the corners of his mouth.

“That colour suits you, hermana. How did you mend it?” he asked.

“Thread, from the doctor,” I grumbled plainly while I entered into the shack. Remembering that I still had the bobbin and the needle, I picked them from my bag, I should give them back to him.

“Mmmmm…I have to give it back to him, is it ok if I go? I mean…won’t your men try…anything thinking that…you know?” I hesitated, he gave off a laugh that sounded more like a bark.

“Then they would have a big pair of balls, if they piss me off they’ll end up rotting with the guy from yesterday. Go wherever the fuck you need, chica, they won’t disturb you,” he concluded.

“Ok, then,” I left with the needle and the bobbin tucked away into my pocket. I walked fast through the dusty maze of shacks, eyeing my surroundings suspiciously, imagining pirates popping out of the buildings prepared to drag me inside. I heard a pair of gravelly voices from inside a dark shanty that called my attention. I tiptoed to the wall and strained my ear.

“Yeah, man, at first she squealed like a fucking pig, moved so much that I couldn’t put my cock inside her. I backhanded her a pair of times and stopped for a while.”

“Psscht, when I fucked her she wouldn’t say a fucking word, just lay there and did as I said. Her tits were a bit saggy, but she had a nice pert ass,” said the other with a laugh.

“The other girl has nice tits, saw them the day of the fight. Vaas always keeps the best things for himself”, commented the other. I clenched my fist in fury when I heard him utter the word “thing”. Reluctantly, I sneaked away before someone caught me eavesdropping.

An iron fist twisted my vowels, a mixture between fear and fury; I walked away from that shack and almost ran towards the doctor’s house. Would the other woman be there? Would I have to see her? To tell the truth, I hoped not to meet her under those circumstances. I had seen the other day how much she hated me for winning, for having been spared of her suffering; I swallowed hard when I reached the door after a pair of minutes of brooding and walking. I knocked and I heard a muffled voice from the inside.

“Come in,” I opened the door, the doctor was sitting behind his desk taking notes.

“I came to bring you back the needle and the thread, thank a lot for everything,” I said and took the objects from my back pocket, leaving them on the desk. He smiled at me slightly.

“I’m glad to be of some help. You mended it, then?”

“Yeah, really needed something else to wear, I was beginning to stink,” I answered. An awkward silence fell between us, there was an enormous elephant in the room and it was no good trying to ignore it.

“Where…how is Sarah?” I questioned in a very low voice.

“Sleeping with her little girl, she came back at dawn and went straight to bed,” I saw him closing his fist around the pen he held.

“Did they…wound her?” I asked in a thin voice. “I heard a pair of pir…men saying that she tried to fight at first, they hit her and began to obey…” my voice faltered and vanished completely when I saw him pursing his lips in disgust. “Oh God, I’m so sorry,” I breathed out, I imagined Sarah lying on a bed while those pirates pinned her to it. His expression softened and looked at me with keen eyes.

“It wasn’t your fault, it would have happened to you if you hadn’t won. Even if Vaas hadn’t made the fight, he would have picked any other woman,” he said.

“They would have tried to rape another, like those two from the other day. If their boss hadn’t intervened…” I didn’t end the phrase. “Why did he have to take me with him? He could have chosen any other.”

“I don’t know, it’s not the first time he takes a woman for…but they usually stayed one night with him, he promised them a better treatment or freedom in exchange of sex. He seems to have developed some interest in you, though,” the older man scanned me with his clear intelligent eyes.

“I would rather not be so interesting,” I replied rather dryly.

“It would be better if you kept being interesting, or he might get bored and…well, I think you know how he can react. I don’t know what you have done to the moment, but I would advise you to continue that way.”

Silence again, we looked at each other in the eye for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. I had to leave, or the pirate would grow impatient.

“Is the baby alright, then?” I muttered.

“She’s alive, the old man prevented her from dying from inanition, but she is weak and could have easily died from any disease. I will take care of her and her mother, don’t worry about that,” he said, looking at me in the eye.

“I know. Well, I have to leave,” I replied in a low voice. I turned around and left, leaving him deep in his musings.

I walked fast to the shanty on the hill, ignoring the pirates that passed by. The pirate had left the place, I felt extremely relieved; I had had enough of him for the whole day. I brought the book outside and sat under the tree, I propped my back against the trunk and pored over its pages for a long while.

The hours always passed fast when I had something to dou. When I raised my gaze I saw it was late by the position of the sun. The pirate hadn’t come back yet; I stretched my limbs and went down to pick some food for myself. The canteen was full of rowdy pirates, making jokes to each other and guffawing loudly. They looked in very good spirits, I supposed they had enjoyed themselves the day before; the queue advanced little by little. The cooker smiled in a sinister manner when he saw me.

“You were fucking lucky, skank. I had a go with your little friend yesterday and I loved it, but I would have liked even more ripping your ass open,” he growled with a vicious grin.

I bit my tongue, he was just trying to provoke me. I got the plates back while I glared at him, yearning to throw the dish against his meaty face. I left without saying a word, the laughs from other pirates who were within earshot ringing in my ears.

I muttered obscenities under my breath while I strode up the slope; I sat with a grunt on one of the stairs and began eating the dish of stewed fish.  I was feeling a bit queasy that day but, after staying hungry on the cage many times, I had understood that in that place food could disappear as soon as it came. I took my plate down when I finished.

Picking the book up, I lay on the ground on my stomach, book under me and chin resting over my hands. I remained like that for a long while, fidgeting from time to time to prevent my limbs from going numb. Later, I don’t know when, my eyelids began to droop.

A soft prod on my ribs woke me up, I opened my eyes and looked up. The pirate was pushing his boot against me, trying to wake me up. I groaned and rolled on the grass so I was on my back.

“Why the fuck are you lying there?” he asked gruffly.

“I fell asleep,” my mouth felt dry.

“I can see that, I have eyes,” I sat upright and tried to get up, he snorted impatiently and offered me his hand to help me to my feet. I grasped his wrist and let him pull from me. “Well, now go get food, and don’t fall asleep on the way, ok?” he sneered.

“Don’t worry,” I said, rolling my eyes when he couldn’t see me.

My head hurt like hell, it always happened when I had a long nap in a place not fit for sleeping. I rubbed my temples while I walked to the canteen. A flurry of moths fluttered around the place, eliciting complaints from the pirates. I got my food and got back to the shanty, gave the pirate his plate and sat on the lower step. We ate in silence, as usual; I repeated my routine of taking my dishes to the canteen when we finished.

I entered the cabin and got ready to sleep, I felt strangely drained of energy, exhausted. I was taking my clothes off when the pirate strolled inside, he threw me a knowing look and smiled. When I finished I curled on my side of the bed, I felt the mattress creaking under Vaas’ weight,  and a beer being opened. I looked at him sideways; he had the laptop over his legs and was reading something with a deep frown. I fell asleep to the sound of him typing.


	11. Chapter 11- Gun

“Wakey wakey, chica! C’mon! Get your ass out of bed, it’s a fucking perfect day outside, sun shining, birds singing and all that shit!” screamed the mad pirate next to my ear, shaking my shoulder. I sat bolt upright when he woke me up.

“Wha…What? ‘S the matter?” I blurted out looking around in confusion; the pirate was next to me smiling devilishly, the corners of his eyes crinkled. He ruffled my already dishevelled hair laughing under his breath.

“No need to freak out, hermana. Dress and fetch breakfast, got many things to do!” he left the bed and walked to the desk. I looked at him full of astonishment and distrust; he was in an extremely good mood, the question was why, and how it would affect me. Still with my eyes locked on his back, I began getting dressed to get breakfast; I would rather keep him in a good humour.

I walked fast to the canteen; the excitement there was tangible too. The pirates laughed and joked to each other. I heard one of them saying:

“Yeah man, tomato sauce day again, and we’re gonna get our bucks! I’ll go to Bad Town to get a hoe and a good bag of yayo  and then get fucking high!” announced a big black man with bulging muscles.

My slang vocabulary had expanded considerably those days, but I didn’t understand what he meant with “tomato sauce day”, even if I could get the gist of the rest.

I picked up two pieces of fruit and got back to the shanty; the pirate was on the outside. I gave him his mango and sat on the steps, he still smiled in a pleased way, as if it was his birthday and waited for presents. I ate my mango, this time more carefully than the other day, as I had ended up with my hands drenched in juice.

He finished having breakfast sooner, then he took out a cigar out of one of his pockets and lighted it with a match, which he threw to the ground with a flick of his fingers. He took a long drag, closing his eyes in relaxation and contentment.

We were sitting there when a man appeared on the summit, he wore green pants and a red sleeveless T-shirt with a faded skull and bones; his eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses and carried an AK-47 slung over his shoulder. He also had some red pieces of cloth around his extremely tanned wrists and arms, and one around his head.

“Vaas?” he stopped respectfully a few metres away from us.

“Yeah, what’s the matter, hermano?” asked the other, his voice still relaxed.

“We’ve got the money and all, Do I get everything ready in the main area?”

“Ok, man, whatever, I’ll come down later,” said the other. The man nodded slightly and left without saying anything else. What did he meant with “get everything ready”? I supposed they had got the money from the ransom of other hostages. Would they have gotten mine? I didn’t think so, I hadn’t been fourteen days since the video was recorded, I felt positive about that.

I looked inconspicuously at the man behind me. There was an unfathomable expression on his face, he looked more sober than before, though. He had nearly finished his cigar, he twirled it between his fingers pensively. Then, he seemed to notice that I was looking at him and locked his eyes with mine. We looked at each other silently for a few seconds, then his mouth split into a wide impish grin.

He got up and stretched his arms. Then threw the put out cigar to the ground, he descended the steps and made a motion with his fingers for me to get up. I just stared at him quizzically.

“What are you waiting for? Fucking follow me!” he growled, waving his arm aggressively towards himself. I got up and walked behind him, my feet felt as heavy as lead. He gave long strides, his upper body haughtily pushed outwards. Other men were walking in the same direction as us, they nodded or made some gesture to Vaas when they saw him.

 I noted that we had taken the same trail that man and Sarah had followed just two days ago. My stomach churned painfully, what did he plan? Had he grown tired of me and was giving me to his men? There was a throng of pirates on a wider area, they opened like the waters of the Red Sea when Vaas appeared, leaving a passage for us.

I was strongly reminded of the day I fought, but that time I wasn’t naked, nor was Sarah with me. There was a platform on the middle of the open area. On it were kneeling five figures, men with their hands tied behind their backs. Two pirates flanked them, guarding them with shotguns in their hands. We climbed the steps to the top of the platform, my knees felt about to collapse. Why was he bringing me there?

The men on the platform were as pale as death, covered in cold sweat. They were all rather young, their clothes tattered and dirty, bruised faces and trembling limbs. All of them cringed in fear when they saw the pirate lord stalking towards them, a cruel smile on his face, eyes agleam.

“Well guys, time to take the garbage out, don’t you think?” he announced to the crowd, they laughed and cheered. “After that you will receive your money so you can spend it on pussies, dope, guns and whatever the fuck you like,” they cheered even louder. “But today, I will not do the honours. Chica here will instead,” he said, pointing to me.

“Oh, no, no, please, please, let him be joking,” I prayed, feeling my knees trembling. However, that maniac walked up to me pulling his gun out of his holster, he presented it to me. I did not try to take it, just stood there looking at him transfixed.

“Come on, don’t be shy, take it,” he told me, pushing its butt against my chest in impatience.

“I can’t,” I mouthed, the sound was barely audible over the voices of the pirates. His eyes blazed darkly.

“What did you say?” he hissed, his face turning into a demonic mask of anger, a shiver crawled down my spine.

“I said…I can’t, I won’t,” I mustered all my courage to speak louder and in a firmer tone, looking at him in the face. He glared at me, his hands had begun to quiver in fury, his jaw was clenched and a vein pulsed visibly on his neck.

“IF YOU DON’T FUCKING KILL THEM RIGHT NOW, YOU’LL REGRET IT!! DO IT!!” he hollered, he snatched my hand and put the gun in it. It was terribly heavy, cold and alien to the touch.

“Please, I can’t, really,” I decided to change my approach and beg. He breathed out through his nose, like a bull prepared to charge.

“I have no fucking use for them anymore; their families wouldn’t give me money. I said I would kill them if they didn’t, I do what I promise,” he spoke on a calmer tone, though his eyes still burned.

“Vaas, please…” I mumbled; terrified at what he wanted me to do. He threw me a cunning look, I could almost hear tiny cogs whirring inside of his brain.

“If you don’t…I will kill them one by one in front of you…and then I will put a bullet between your eyes,” he said very slowly. He was telling the truth, he did what he promised, didn’t he? At that point my body hurt from the tension and the fear. Desperate, I looked at the nearest man beside me; he lowered his gaze while he shook violently, he looked ready to faint.

I gave a tentative step towards him, not believing what was happening. I raised the weapon with both hands slightly, my body quivered like a leaf. I put my finger against the trigger, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, a tight knot formed in my throat.

“Come on, hermana. It’s fucking easy, you just pull the trigger and he snuffs it,” he whispered behind me. I inhaled deeply, trying to steady my uncontrolled pulse. “Come here, I’ll show you,” he gripped both my arms by the wrists gently and raised them until the cannon was pressed against the man’s forehead. The man began to sob audibly, tears streaming down his face.

“Put the gun there, you won’t even have to aim. Then you press the trigger and BUM,” he said in a low voice next to my ear, both the man and I flinched at the sound. “Bye bye, mister hostage.”

“Please, please. I beg you, don’t do it, please. I want to live, please. PLEASE!! PLEASE!!!” screamed the man, looking at me in the eye, his cheeks stained with mud and tears and drool coming out of his mouth. He howled in pain and fear, the pirates below cackled and laughed like cruel vultures. Vaas let go of me, walked to him and bended to put his face in front of the man.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! DIE WITH SOME FUCKING DIGNITY, YOU FUCKING COWARD!!!” he bellowed, next to the man’s ear, his face turning nearly as red as his tank. He stood upright again and breathed deeply again. The man kept crying in silence.

“Do it,” he urged me. Knowing that my life hung by a very fine thread, I looked at the man and steeled myself, my body kept shaking uncontrollably.

“Oh, fuck. I’m sorry, please, I’m so sorry, but I have no choice,” I blinked to stop the tears of rage from flowing, my mouth felt full of earth and dust. Finally, after what felt like an enormous effort, I pulled the trigger.

BUM

It echoed on my ears for a few seconds; I watched the man fall against the crude wooden planks as if in slow motion. A wisp of smoke issued from the gaping hole on his forehead and from the gun. Then, crimson, thick blood began to gush from his body, forming into a dark puddle that seeped between the cracks of the platform. The man’s corpse looked at me with empty glassy eyes, lifeless, dead.

I was shaking from head to feet at that moment; I could hear the crowd cheering on the ground. My heart was beating on my eardrums, my breath was laboured as if I had run for miles. A push on my lower back snapped me out of the trance, I turned around, it was Vaas.

“You still have four, come on,” he said with a cruel smile on his mouth, showing his teeth like some infernal being.

I walked to the next one, he was blubbering incoherently while he stared at the floor. I swallowed again and raised my arm, he began to say what seemed like a prayer. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think there’s any God to save you, especially not here,” thought the vicious and harsh voice inside me. I closed my eyes tightly before I pulled the trigger.

The man fell with a dull thud, I gave a step back to prevent the blood from staining my trainers. I had barely aimed this time, and the bullet had made a hole over his left eyebrow. I turned my gaze away from the grisly sight and aimed at the next, my fingers felt about to freeze.

Another bang deafened the other sounds from the camp, the man crumpled in front of my eyes, moaning pitifully before slumping to the ground. I walked mechanically to the other man, unable to think, my mind blank and empty.

His head was bowed, resigned to his fate. I pushed the muzzle against the top and shot. I dodged before he collided against me. Still trembling slightly, I turned to the last man; he looked at me in the eye, a lamb ready to be slaughtered.

Our gazes locked for a few seconds, he pleaded to me with his eyes not to do it; but he knew it was useless, just as well as me. I muttered some kind of apology under my breath before I pressed the small metal piece. The life in his eyes vanished, as if it was a candle being put out; he closed them and slumped to the ground sideways. I stood there paralyzed, my arm still slightly raised.

“See? It wasn’t so hard, was it?” I heard the pirate murmur next to my ear; he wiped some blood off my cheek with his thumb, almost tenderly. I stared fixedly at the broken man at my feet.

“No, it wasn’t,” I lied in a hollow voice.

“You did it well for a first time, I’m happy, chica,” he said, I just kept looking at the ground. My fingers tightened around the gun, a quite familiar feeling filled my insides, an odd red haze. I wished it was him who was kneeling in front of me, tied and defenceless, fearing what was to come. I yearned to free the world from him, to see him suffer such fear and hopelessness, relishing how the life in his eyes disappeared. I wanted to remind him he was a mere human, not a god to dispose of our lives as he pleased.

“Can I leave?” I said in a whisper.

“Yeah, you can,” he took the gun from my hand and put it in his holster. I left the platform in silent, not even seeing the pirate’s faces; they stared at me with a strange expression on their faces which I could not interpret in that moment. I left the wide area and lost myself in the maze.

When nobody could see me, I started to run like the wind, I needed to run away from Vaas, from the pirates, even from myself. I ran until my lungs felt about to burst, until every movement turned painful. I reached the top of the hill totally out of breath. I dragged my feet to the back of the shanty.

My body bended on half and my I was wracked by an attack of retching. I vomited the contents of my stomach on the earthy soil. I grabbed my knees, my head kept spinning while I tried not to fall to the ground. I kicked some dirt over it to hide my mess from that sick creature. The last thing I wanted was the pirate knowing how much it had affected me. I leaned on the wall with one hand, trying to steady myself.

I looked at myself on the mirror; there was a reddish smudge on my face where the pirate had cleaned me. I had more tiny droplets around; I noticed there was blood on my tank too, a few splatters on the red fabric. My eyes stared at myself blankly, expressionless; I left that place and almost sunk on my face over the mattress, kneeling on the ground.

A white fog had introduced itself in my head, occupying every nook and corner, drowning any thought or feeling. It was nothingness as I had never felt it, a void that filled my brain. My surroundings had disappeared, I was not leaning against the mattress and my knees weren’t on the floor.

“Falling asleep again, guapa?” said a voice near my head, I felt a loose strand of hair being tucked behind my ear. I opened my half-closed eyes and looked at the monster in front of me. He was crouching so that our faces were level with each other and was eyeing me with curiosity.

I had to exert all my self-control not to recoil from him at that moment. I kept my face devoid of expression, hiding the fear and disgust I felt.

“Get the fuck up, it’s getting late and I want food, don’t stay there like an idiot,” he stood up and then walked to the outside of the shack. I groaned inwardly and got to my feet, then walked out of the place. The day was sunny and beautiful, perfect; it wasn’t as hot as the other days.  The canteen was already full of men looking for food or already devouring it; many of them glanced at me in a strange manner, some others smirked and pointed. I bit my tongue to stop myself from snarling at them.

I followed the line as patiently as I could. My turn came and the cooker and I faced each other. He showed me his crooked teeth in a cruel smile.

“What then, whore? Did you cry like a fucking baby when Vaas made you pull the trigger? Little girl is frightened?” he asked scathingly.

“Maybe if I was still holding that gun you wouldn’t smile so much, big son of a bitch,” I thought. I knew better than to say it out loud, you shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds you. I contented myself with throwing him a glance full of spite and scorn. I got the plates and climbed up the slope.

The pirate sat on his usual place, he still looked happy from before. I put the dish on his lap and sat on the lower step. I sank the fork into the dish of chicken curry and rice and stirred the food with it. It smelled good, but I didn’t feel hungry, not at all. I kept moving my fork around listlessly while the pirate ate behind me.

“Why aren’t you eating?” asked the pirate, his mouth sounded full.

“Not hungry,” I replied brusquely. He grunted peevishly and came down to my step, sitting next to me.

“Eat,” he commanded.

“What does it matter if I eat or not?” I spat, looking at the dish of rice.

“Fucking. Eat,” he repeated in a louder tone, grasping my head and turning it towards him.

“What? Now you care for my wellbeing, huh? I told you I’m not hungry!” I growled angrily. I did not mean that, I did not want to say it; however, my mouth and vocal chords had acted by their own volition. He clenched his jaw and opened his eyes in rage. He got up from the steps and threw my dish to the ground, spilling its contents everywhere.

“OK, fuck you, then! I was trying to be fucking nice and you start acting like an ungrateful brat!! Ok then, shove that food up your fucking ass if you want!!” he yelled, he stormed off from the place, leaving me frozen on the spot.

I looked at his retreating back incredulously; that had been near, too near. Why had I told him that? I knew perfectly well how he could react when someone angered him for any reason, and that remark was bound to offend him. I gathered the food on the plate with the fork and carried it to the canteen. The pirate had gone away with his own plate.

I gnawed at my lower lip. Fearful of what he would do when he came. Two things could happen: he could come back calmer or even angrier. Maybe I should try to tell him I was sorry, try to apologize somehow. “Why the hell would you apologize? He’s a monster! A man who almost whored you to his whole camp, threatens to hurt you or kill you if you don’t obey, who has forced you to kill innocent people! Apologize, indeed!” cried wrathfully the horrible voice inside me.

I went back to the shack and slumped on the steps, so much uncertainty wracked my nerves. Part of me wanted to keep him away, but the other wished to get it over.  I picked a tiny, sharp stone and started carving lines into the planks; I kept denting the material again and again. I found some kind of strange pleasure on such a monotonous task. The on-going sound of the pebble scraping against the wood was oddly soothing.

 My head was leaning against the frame of the door, while my other hand kept scratching chips off the planks. The other sounds of the jungle disappeared, I could only hear that sound which would have annoyed me profoundly at any other moment.

Big, fluffy clouds were crossing the forget-me-not blue sky, the jungle shone brilliantly green. The wind toyed with the branches of the trees, ruffling and shaking them. Every surface was touched by sunbeams, then covered for a moment by a passing cloud. All that barely registered in my brain, I was just too intent on trying to push that more and more dulled piece of rock through a half-rotten piece of wood.

However, suddenly, I made a strange movement with the pebble and it sunk into my finger, cutting into flesh and nail in the process.

“Fuck,” I swore loudly, blood began oozing from my finger. “Shit,” I hurried into the shack and rummaged through my bag looking for plaster. My nail was rather broken on the top, I would have to cut it somehow to prevent it from breaking apart.

I found a pair of tiny scissors to cut nails. I could practically cover them with my hand, the tip was very sharp and thin.  I proceeded to cut it carefully and threw the broken piece of nail through the window. Then, after cleaning the bleeding wound with a napkin, I wrapped a band around it.

I looked at the scissors; they were really sharp, I didn’t know I had them. It reminded me of that day when Vaas had threatened with cutting my face or gouging one of my eyes. What if he was like that when he came back? I had been lucky once, but two…chances were low that would happen again. Those scissors were the nearest thing I had to a weapon, they wouldn’t kill him if he got violent, but maybe I could sink them into one of his eyes to distract him.

I couldn’t keep them on me, what if he found them? He would see through it immediately, he looked like the typical paranoid who thought everyone wanted to kill him. I scanned with my eyes for some place where it could be at hand but not at plain sight. The room had few places where Vaas wouldn’t find it easily.

Then it struck me that I could conceal it between the mattress and the wall, where I used to place my bra the first days. It would only be useful if I was near enough to the bed and could reach the crack, but it would have to do for the moment. I pushed it there, making sure I could reach it easily if needed.

I kicked out my shoes and flung myself on the bed, fingers locked beneath my head. I looked at the ceiling, my eyes fixed on the metal sheets that covered it. The bulb that hung from the beam swayed with the soft breeze.

The pirate entered after a few minutes, I looked at him from the corner of my eye, trying to interpret his expression. I realized then that he had several bloodstains, on his tank, arms and trousers. And it wasn’t his, a chill shook my spine. I tried to keep my face expressionless in case he looked at me; however, he ignored me altogether. He walked to the wardrobe and took off his dirty tank, then carelessly flung it behind him. He picked another and put it on, then began to do the same with his trousers.

“Get me a beer from the fridge, my throat is a fucking desert,” he growled. I got up in silence and opened the fridge to pick a bottle, then left it over the crate. I crawled to my corner and watched him getting dressed from the corner of my eye, I put my hand near the crack where the scissors were hidden.

He buckled his trousers into place and slumped on bed. He opened the beer with his teeth and spat the cap to the other side of the room, then gave one long swig. A fly landed on my nose, I shooed it away and scratched it. He looked at my bandaged finger.

“What did you do now?” he spat, snatching my finger with a free hand and looking at it.

“Cut my finger with a chip of stone,” I muttered.

“Always getting in trouble, aren’t you?” he let go of my finger and drank again.

“I suppose so,” I said in a low voice, trying to keep things calm. Suddenly, he chuckled, nearly choking on the beer he was drinking.

“What’s the matter?” I asked, concealing my growing irritation.

“Nothing, chica. Just remembered something funny,” he said amid coughs. I grunted slightly and slumped again on bed. I looked through the window, “I might as well bore myself to death. Nothing to do on this place besides reading or sitting around like an idiot,” I thought, blowing a few hairs out of my eyes.

I got up from the bed, stepping over the pirate and I picked the book; I only had around fifty more pages. I crawled on bed and started reading, trying to concentrate, while Vaas peeled off the sticker from the bottle with his nails.

A rain of greyish confetti rained over me at some point. I bit my lips while taking a tiny bit of sticker from my eyelashes and kept ignoring that irksome man. Nevertheless, he didn’t plan on leaving me alone. He snatched the book off my hands and looked at it intently; I felt the anger flaring up inside me.

“All the fucking day reading, don’t you get bored?” he said, rifling through the book.

“I like reading, and it’s the most interesting thing to do around here,” I replied testily, he snorted in laughter.

“I could give you something to do, remember yesterday?” he teased, looking at me with a dirty smile on his mouth. Heat rose to my ears.

“I’d rather keep reading, if you don’t mind, could you give it back to me?” I answered in a rather cold way.

“Of course,” he said with a crooked smile, and then threw the book to the other side of the room. I restrained myself from screaming in rage, and instead got up and picked up the book. I would have gladly slapped him a pair of times, but he wouldn’t have liked it very much. He laughed, I hid my face behind a curtain of hair and sat again on the mattress. He got up from the bed at last, walked to the door and threw away the empty bottle of beer.

Then he left without saying a word, I huffed loudly after a few seconds.  At least he wasn’t angry, but he was like a flea of which I couldn’t get rid of, a constant nuisance. At last, I was able to focus on the book, but it was impossible, the words seemed to leak away from my brain, so I ended staring at the ceiling, watching my time going by.

Time was relentless and unforgiving, the shadows of the night were beginning to fall and I just lay there, concentrated on the changing light. The pirate would come any time soon to command me to fetch food; he could get it himself if he wanted, I just didn’t feel hungry. Night had finally fallen when he came back, he snapped his fingers to make me pay attention to him.

“Come on, I’m hungry,” I put on my trainers and marched in silence towards the canteen. There were a few stragglers milling around, but most of the pirates had already finished. I walked to the enormous pot, the cooker looked at me as if I was a cockroach he had found in a sack.

“About to close, slut. Go beg for food if you want, ain’t giving you nothing,” he spat. Some kind of feral smile crept to my face.

“Well then, tell that same thing to Vaas, he won’t be too pleased,” I put forward the two dishes insistently. He growled something unintelligible and put soup on the plates.

I walked back to the shack and gave the pirate his food. I sat on the usual step, I hid my surprise when Vaas descended to sit by my side. He watched me pushing a spoonful of soup into my mouth.

“Decided to fucking eat?”

“Yeah, I suppose,” I said after swallowing the lukewarm liquid.

We ate the rest in silence. Why had he decided to sit there now? To make sure I ate? To annoy me? Because he wanted? He put his dish on my lap after I finished and I took them down, the place was deserted, I couldn’t hear the usual sounds from the camp, it felt calm.

The pirate was taking his clothes off when I came back. It was strange, he didn’t usually go to bed so soon. I began to imitate him and slid of my clothes, not even aware of my nakedness. I curled into bed a minute afterwards. Finally, he put the handcuff in its place and lay down next to me.

 

I was on the platform again, and the last man was there, looking with his pale greyish eyes into mine. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, his lips were chapped and broken, asking for water. His brownish hair fell lank and dirty over his head, which was raised towards me. I pressed the cannon of the gun against his flesh, feeling the blood boiling inside of my veins. Finally, I pulled the trigger.

The grey eyes turned green before their light flickered for a moment and disappeared. The hair grew a lot longer and the facial features turned softer and feminine, but the pain in them was the same. I saw my corpse lying in front of me, while blood trickled to the wood.

I saw the other hostages, each one of them turned into me when I shot them. I stood there impassibly, pulling the trigger time after time.

“Joder, haz que pare!!!” I screamed, sitting bolt upright. “Déjame en paz de una vez!!!!” I cried. I tried to run away, but I was tied, there was no escape. I pulled at the thing that restrained me, but to no avail.

“Suéltame, suéltame! SUÉLTAME!!” I yelled hoarsely. My chest hurt with a strange pressure around my ribs, as if I wore something tight that wouldn’t let me breathe.

“Qué pasa? Qué haces? Tranquilízate, vale? No pasa nada, joder hermana, relájate,” said another voice in Spanish to my side. I tried to push away whoever it was, but they grabbed my wrists with one hand, something hard got over my shoulders and forcibly pushed me against something hot. I trembled uncontrollably, while feebly trying to push away the other person.

“Venga, ya está. Respira hondo, chica. Cálmate, que me has dado un susto de muerte, coño,”  I tried to take a deep breath, ceasing to struggle. My heart kept pounding in my ears, and the pain in my chest oppressed me.

“Muy bien, ves? Mucho mejor, no?”[1]that language began to feel like home. It soothed me, reminded me of people I barely remembered those days. The other person released my wrists and my arms fell limply; a hand petted my hair, while the other held me against them.

My breath steadied itself, I took a few shuddering gasps and filled my lungs to capacity. Then I exhaled all the air and slumped against the body next to me, one of my arms curled instinctively around them.

“Are you ok? Shit, I thought you were having a fit or something!” said the voice reproachfully, switching into English. And the illusion was broken; I realised who was embracing me, cradling me almost as if was a child. My head was resting against the crook of the pirate’s neck, I could perceive gunpowder, blood, cigars and beer on him. My arm was around his torso, pushing myself against him. One arm held me against him while he stroked my head with his other hand.

Being there, knowing that HE was the one holding me, frightened and disturbed me deeply. I froze there for a few seconds, then took my arm from around his waist and began pushing him away. He released me and I sat on my side of the bed. We looked at each other in the semidarkness.

“What the fuck happened, then?”

“I don’t know, had a nightmare or something,” I muttered sheepishly, feeling embarrassed from my reaction.

He got up with a grunt and walked to the fridge, he took a swig from a bottle and then picked something from the top. He tipped a tablet into his hand and gave it to me.

“Why would I need that? My head doesn’t hurt,” I said in confusion, he scoffed impatiently.

“You are too fucking nervous, it will help you sleep, take it,” he commanded.

I obeyed grudgingly and put the medicine into my mouth, then forced myself to swallow. He lay down and pushed me against the mattress. I curled into a nearly foetal position and then felt him slipping an arm around me, pulling his body against mine.

My body tensed for a moment at the sensation, he was the same man who had forced me to kill those innocent men that same morning. I would have wanted to tell him to leave me alone, to stop bothering me, touching me as if he could do anything he wanted. But I was just too tired.

 

[1] Spanish into English:

“Fuck, make it stop!!! Leave me alone, please!!!

“Get off me, get off me! GET OFF ME!!!

“What’s the matter? What are you doing? Calm down, ok? Everything’s fine. Fuck, Hermana, relax!

“Come on, chill. Take a deep breath, chica. Calm down, you have fucking scared me to death,”

“That’s better, don’t you think? Feel better?


	12. Chapter 12- Water

**Hi again, how are you? Sorry for not having updated in a while, but I'm about to finish my degree and got so many things to do!**

**Thanks to those who have read this fanfic and are following it.**

**This chapter contains a scene of graphical sex, just saying ;)**

**I do not own Far Cry nor none of its characters.**

**I'll update soon, if all goes well  As you already know, any comments or critics are welcomed. I hope you enjoy it :)**

* * *

 

Something heavy and warm was wrapped around my abdomen. Physically, it was comfortable having another human body next to me, making me feel less alone, even making me feel protected. However, the one that held me so close couldn’t care less for my protection, my wellbeing or my happiness. He was a lion toying with a mouse before he ate it, a toy that could be broken and forgotten at any moment.  

Vaas’ breath stirred light tendrils of hair every time he exhaled air through his nose. I just lay there, very still, half curled next to him. A tanned and scarred arm tightened itself around me and curled a fist between my breasts. I inspected his marred skin, from the three plasters wrapped around his fingers, through a map of shallow craters and thin lines scattered on his forearm and arm.

He seemed to have gone through many fights, and he had survived all of them. Fighting who? Who would dare face him? Not his men of course, or one of the prisoners. Who would be so reckless as to defy that man, that merciless, cruel man? Not even those who were supposed to be his friends or allies appeared to be safe from his wrath. Yes, so many marks had been left from suffering in the past, physical and probably psychological too.

But that wasn’t an excuse for his behaviour, of course it wasn’t. No matter how much hardship you have gone through in the past, you don’t have the right to hurt others, to make them feel powerless. That feeling of vulnerability was constant when he was around, being at his mercy all the time, forcing myself to follow his orders so as to survive. Just like yesterday, I had hurt another human being to save my own pathetic life, again. First Sarah, then those men; at least Sarah wasn’t dead…yet.

He was beginning to wake up, his breath was sallower and faster. I heard him sigh behind me, totally relaxed; I exhaled in relief when he took his arm away from me and rolled on his back to lustily stretch on the bed. I heard his joints cracking into place and a satisfied grunt from behind me.

“Shit, I slept like a fucking log,” he groaned in contentment, I sat on the bed and looked through the window, the sky was covered by a thick blanket of dark clouds, and the air felt stuffy, too hot. I had slept well myself, but my body felt stiff and hurt all over, as if someone had hit me during the night. I remembered when I woke up after that nightmare that same night, a rush of heated shame coursed through my whole body.

He got up from the bed and walked to the desk, then came back and opened the cuff, I just kept staring distractedly through the window. He snorted in a displeased manner.

“No “thanks, Vaas” or “morning, Vaas”?” he growled.

“Thanks and good morning, Vaas,” I couldn’t restrain myself, I whipped my head around and practically spat out his name. He scowled at me and flexed his fingers menacingly, as if he wished to curl them around my throat.

“Are you trying to piss me off? Go fetch breakfast before I fucking get hold of you!!” he roared. I dressed hurriedly, a mix of fear and anger boiling just below the surface. I ran out of the shanty into that sultry weather, after nearly a minute of running down the slope I was already sweating. I came to the canteen and I picked a mango and two bananas, then began to get back again.

 I felt calmer far from him. Why did I have to say that? I knew perfectly well how unhinged he was, why did I have to provoke him? If I wasn’t careful he would send me to the main area and shoot me, I shivered slightly. I would have to control myself, as I had done all these days.  But I was beginning to feel sick and tired of his constant demands, taunts and changing moods.

He sat on the steps, he raised his head towards me and looked at me with a deep frown over his eyes. He was still angry, “I might as well try and put things right with him,” I thought, even if I would rather not do it. I gave him his mango, he just took it, deep in a moody silence.

“About before…” his expression mixed with one of puzzlement. “I’m sorry, ok? I woke up with the wrong foot, right? So…” I looked at him on tenterhooks, a part of my mind berated me for asking forgiveness to that psychopath.

“You don’t say?” he stood up so we were face to face, he kept glaring at me; he was taller than me, I had to look up. I tried not to blink while he thought his answer, as if I was looking at a dangerous snake.

“OK, I’ll let it pass just this time, but you toe the fucking line, or I won’t be so forgiving,” he grabbed the top of my arm and dug his fingers into it, to make his threat even more patent.

“I get it,” I said in a low voice, holding his gaze. His expression softened very slightly, he let go of my arm and patted my cheek lightly, then sat on the step.

I sat down too and forced myself to swallow the sticky mass in my mouth. I barely had any appetite, but I didn’t plan on starving away, so I forced myself to it, lest I hadn’t food in the near future. I gulped the last piece of banana and walked to the back of the shanty to relieve myself. I entered into the booth and refreshed myself by splashing cold water on my face, the nape of my hair and arms.

The pirate had gone into the shack, he had dragged the crate in front of himself and was sitting on the bed: he was dismantling his gun, concentrated on his task while a cigarette hung loosely from his mouth. He put each one of the different pieces on the crate, including the bullets. Then he took a piece of cotton from the crate and poured some kind of liquid from a tiny bottle, I crawled to my side of the bed, trying not to disturb him, seeing how focused he was. I sat on my usual place, feeling curious despite myself. It was the gun I had used yesterday, I remembered with a pang of guilt.

I saw him push the cotton into the orifice of the gun, he pushed it with a tiny stick until it came through the other side. He did it a few time before he took it before his eyes and nodded to himself, apparently satisfied with the result. He turned towards me and saw I was looking at him.

“You looking at, hermana?” he asked raising his eyebrows.

“Sorry,” I said, then turned my eyes to the window. He chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry, you can look. Just don’t make noise,” he said in an amused voice.

When he was back at his task I turned my eyes toward him, he had introduced a thin rod with some bristles into the barrel to clean it. After that, he took a piece of cloth, put a few drops of liquid on it and rubbed the different parts of the gun. It had a strong, pungent smell, it mixed with the tobacco and the slight whiff of gunpowder on the air.

He assembled the pieces into place and put his weapon back into his holster, then pushed the crate away from himself. He had finished his cigarette long ago, he lit another and lay down on bed. We remained there, I leaned my face against the bars, totally ignoring him. A gunshot from the other side of the camp startled me, my body tensed and I froze next to the window. It had piqued the pirate’s interest too, I felt him sitting up and grunting in irritation.

“Trouble in the cage zone,” he got up and adjusted his belt. “I’m going to see what those fuckers are doing,” he strolled out of the place.

I lay down again and dragged myself to the book that lay on the ground. I opened it and stared at its old yellowing pages, barely understanding the characters printed in faded black ink. I let it fall to the side and stood up to pace around the room, looking at the cracks of light between the planks, feeling the slight drafts of air they caused.

The pirate warlord came back after a few minutes, he practically flung himself on the bed and rubbed a hand across his face, as if he had just done something very tiring and complicated.

“Fuckers, one of my men had tried to steal a bag of coke from some other guy because of some fucking unsettled debt,” he commented, I grunted slightly so he knew I had heard.

I sat on the bed again and picked up the book, trying to disappear between its pages.

He prodded me on the leg with his foot, I raised my head. I had been able to concentrate at last, and he had interrupted when the reading was most interesting.

“Come on, get food,” he got up and put on his heavy boots before leaving the room. I prepared myself and then left for the canteen. The clouds had turned to a lead coloured hue, everything appeared darker and gloomier, a gust of wind whipped my hair. The pirates looked disgruntled about this too.

“We have to go to the northern beach, and there will be a fucking huge storm,” grouched an older and scarred man. I nabbed two dishes and presented them to the cook, he splashed a ladleful or two into mine and filled the other. I climbed the slope again, a dish on each hand, and gave the pirate his part.

He looked at the overcast sky while he chewed a piece of fish from the stew. I sat down next to him, careful not to be too near, and introduced a spoonful of food into my mouth. It was tasty, that cooker knew how to do his job, even if he was the most disgusting person I had ever met. 

I noticed the jungle was even noisier than before, the birds warbled and squawked louder than other days. I finished and the pirate pushed his empty dish into my hands, I walked to the canteen mechanically, not really thinking about what I was doing.

When I came back the pirate was still there, looking towards the jungle, deep in thought. He looked at me when I came into view.

“Why the long face, guapa?” he wondered, I just shrugged.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s the weather,” I answered apathetically. “Do I really look happier at other times?” I wondered. “Why should he care, anyway?” I thought.

“Yeah, the fucking rain, everything so grey and fucking dull,” he commented. He got up and entered into the shack, I followed him inside. I slumped on bed with the book, he walked to the desk and picked a knife that lay there, I watched him with a knot of fear in my stomach; I let my hand slip towards the crack where my improvised weapon rested. He examined it under the light.

“This knife won’t cut shit, needs a good sharpening,” he muttered, he opened one of the drawers and took some square piece of material, it looked like stone. He began to rub the blade with it.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, the air smelt like rain. Rain began to fall heavily upon the roofing, millions of raindrops crashing against the dull metal of the shanty. I looked through the window and stared at the thick curtain of water that blurred every outline and shape. The deafening noise of falling water muffled any other sound. A long scar of lightning crossed the sky, striking with violence.

The pirate walked to the still open door and sat cross-legged in front of it, he took out a cigarette and lit it with a match, staring intently into the rain. I just tried to focus again on the book. The moist smell of rain, mud and plants mixed with the wooden smell of the shanty and Vaas’ tobacco.

He began to pace the room, like a tiger in a zoo, he gave a kick to the crate near the bed.

“Fucking boring,” he groaned, then his mouth split into a smile. “I have the solution!” he hurried to the desk and began to open drawers and rummage in them, muttering to himself.

“Where the hell did I put it? Shit! Fuck!” he swore loudly, giving a mighty kick to the desk in his anger, I looked at him apprehensively, what was the matter with him?

“I can’t have run out of fucking weed,” he growled, then he looked at me.

“Chica, I need you to go to Carlos’ place and ask him for a bag of weed, he owes me one,” he ordered.

“A bag of weed?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m in the mood for a good high, what are you waiting for?” Was he really going to make me go out under the rain just to fetch him drugs?

“Where is it, Carlos’ place?” I asked grudgingly.

“Beyond the main area, you reach it and you turn right until you find a construction trailer with a red door. Come on, get moving!” he urged me, I got up and walked out into the rain, I descended the slope hastily, practically sliding down the runny surface. The trails of earth had turned into a squelchy mass of mud, my trainers were already soaked and brown; rain fell heavily on my head, shoulders and the front of my legs.

I tried to run without falling on the slippery surface. I was the only one on the paths, the other pirates had sought refuge in their shanties. I pushed out a few wet strands of hair from my face and looked for the trail.

 I felt a strange pressure on my chest when I arrived at the main area. There it was, empty and washed by rain. There were no pirates, no bloody corpses on the platform, no Vaas to taunt me and force me to shoot, but there it was. I ran away, my breath laboured and shallow, nausea rising from my stomach.

I fled from that place, running as fast as I could, ignoring the mud that splashed on my legs with every step. I reached the old trailer, rusty and partly covered with a blue plastic canvas. I banged the door, shivering because of the cold and extremely uncomfortable in my drenched clothes.

“What do you need?” a man opened the door, I noticed he was the one who had come yesterday to tell Vaas that everything was ready. This time he didn’t wear aviator sunglasses.

“Has Vaas sent you?” he guessed.

“Yeah, he wants a bag of weed you owe him,” he clicked his tongue, as if he had just remembered it.

“Ok, come inside, don’t stay out there,” he made a signal for me to come in. He closed the door behind us; I regretted having entered when he did this, at least out there I could escape with ease, but now I was inside. I stayed near the door and watched him look in a crate.

The place was rather dark, there was a desk with a few books and papers over them, on a corner there was a patched mattress with a ragged blanket and on the other side a table with two chairs. On the shelves he had put some bottles, electronic gadgets like radios and cardboard boxes.

He walked with a bag of leaves on one hand, he offered it to me. My pockets weren’t big enough to keep it, so I tucked it under the waistband of my shorts and covered it with the tank.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Be careful not to show it on the way back, if the others know you’ve got a big bag of good pot they will take it from you,” he advised, I nodded and opened the door to leave.

I felt relieved when I stepped out of the place; that Carlos would surely know what Vaas would do to him if he dared harm me, but still…I ran back, holding the bag against my hip, making sure it was still there. My clothes were heavy with water, my hair hung in thick rat tails plastered against my scalp,

I was shivering when I reached the shanty at last, I entered into the room, water sliding down my face like tears, I twisted my tank to strain some of the water into the steps. The pirate lay on bed, he sat up when he saw me.

“At last! What happened? Did you go look for Carlos in the fucking bottom of the river or what?” I bit my tongue and tossed him the plastic bag of drug, then sat on the bed. I started taking away my trainers; the laces had swollen with the water and were tighter. I slipped them away and cleaned the mud on my calves and thighs, then unbuttoned my soggy shorts and let them fall to the ground.

Something crept under the hem of my tank, which stuck to my skin. A warm hand stroked my cold back. I inhaled sharply due to the surprise and froze, sitting on the edge of the bed. He had got near when I was concentrated on taking my clothes off, I hadn’t even heard him. I felt his hot face near my shoulder, he nipped it with his teeth and then kissed my wet neck. His other hand crawled to the side of my face to pull me closer against him. He sucked and bit my neck hungrily, rubbing his thumb against my cheek.

His intentions could not be plainer, I knew what he wanted. It would happen now, the thing I had feared all those days. I had to react, I had to do something,

I put a hand on his chest and pushed him away from me, he looked at me with surprise for the fraction of a second, I took advantage of this and dashed to the other side of the room, my back to the desk. His face adopted a grim and angry expression.

“What do you think you are doing?” he hissed, sitting with his back hunched, as if he was preparing himself to pounce over me.

“I can’t do this,” I said in a loud voice, surprisingly, he laughed, a cold grave laugh.

“Back to resisting and playing the tough girl, are we? Good, because I want to play too,” he smirked.

“Leave me alone! Go fuck Sarah or some whore! I don’t want anything to do with you!” I spat heatedly, raising my voice.

“I could, the problem is I don’t want any of them…I want you...” he said, his eyes fixed on me. “And…the thing is, it is going to happen. Whether you fucking like it or not,” he showed his teeth in a ferocious grin.

“FUCK YOU!” I snarled, he was getting the better of me.

“No, FUCK YOU! I have been very fucking patient with you, and believe me, I have a very short temper. I will give you three choices; choose well, because after it there’s no going back. You can try to fight me and resist or try to run through that door; I would rather not rape you, but I’ll do it and then I will shoot your brains away. Or you can just lie there like a fucking corpse; I don’t like that either, so I would throw you to the guys so they have another plaything. And finally, you can come here and I will make it feel good for both. If you are nice with me I will be nice with you, it’s very simple,” he looked at me intently, fists clenched against his knees.

“Yeah, so fucking simple,” I sneered, desperation and anger filling every limb.

“You choose, honey. And choose fast, because if you don’t I will do it for you,” he concluded, he stood there, his body visibly tensed in anticipation and anger.

So, that was it. If I didn’t obey he would kill me, of course he would do it, that remorseless bastard. As for being given to those other monsters…I would rather die. I imagined myself with a gun against my head and felt like retching. My body trembled all over, I stared at my feet; I had had many close shaves, and he had got tired.

“Tick tack, sweetheart,” he said in a lower voice.

I did not want to die, I did not want to end up as Sarah; there was only one possible choice, even if it seemed horrible to me. I gave a tentative step towards him, my heart pounded against my ribs. I bit my lip, swallowing my pride.

I walked towards the bed, he smiled slightly, reached for my arm and pulled from me until my knees collided with his, he grabbed my waist and forced me to straddle his legs. I got hold of his shoulders for a moment to keep my balance. His hands roamed over my abdomen, then rose to my chest, I kept staring to the side, I could not bring myself to look at him. He grasped the back of my head and pushed his mouth against mine, kissing me forcefully, almost violently, biting my lips and forcing them apart with his tongue. I remained there passively, arms hanging against my sides, however, he didn’t appreciate this. He separated from me and scowled, his jaw tense.

“Hey, chica, do something! This counts as lying like a piece of meat,” he growled, our faces so near that our noses touched. “Were you listening before? What did I say?”

“That you would give me to your men if I just stayed there,” I muttered.

“Then fucking do something,” he commanded. He forced his mouth upon mine again, I slid a hand over his arm until it rested on his shoulder and used the other to grab the back of his neck, pushing him further against me. He tightened his hold and his kiss turned even more insistent, I moved my lips against his, fighting to seem cooperative. He grunted in contentment and tangled his fingers in my mane, his other hand went under my tank and slipped under my bra, kneading my right breast.

He pulled my hair downwards, making me show my throat, he began to bite his way down, suckling harshly. I grunted, it was rather painful, I tried to coax him into being more careful by stroking the nape of his hair. He released my neck from his mouth, grabbed the hem of my tank and began to pull upwards, I yielded and raised my arms, he tossed it to the ground.

“That’s it,” he muttered, his voice laden with lust. My damp and cold skin contrasted with his heat, I sighed when he pushed himself against me, wrapping his arms around and reaching for my buttocks. Even if it was him, his hot body felt strangely nice against my coolness. He was just a man, at least he felt like the other men I had been with.

I allowed the hand that rested on his neck to get lower, brushing against his back. His mouth had gone back to my neck and was biting my earlobe. I could feel something pressing against my crotch, I felt an explosion of heat inside me.

He reached for the clasp of my bra and began to tug to get it out of the way. He attempted to untie it, groaning impatiently when he couldn’t set it loose. He tried to search into his pocket for his switchblade, but I held his hand in time.

“I’ll do it,” I said, straightening to look at him, he studied my face while I moved both arms to take it away. My breasts felt cold against the air between us, but his hands covered them a moment afterwards. I leaned against him again and touched his arms, trying to focus into some task.

“Help me out of this,” he said in a raspy voice, pointing to his top. I pulled and raised it, he took his arms and neck out and threw it to the corner. I shifted my legs, they were sliding apart and felt uncomfortable, this movement made me push my body against him. I felt the hair of his chest against my midriff and breasts, he grabbed my head again and caught my lips between his. I explored his back with the tips of my fingers, noticing the slight ridges and irregularities of scars. He shuddered slightly; incredulous, I struggled not to laugh: the terrible and fearful Vaas had tickles, who would have thought it?

Then, he leaned to the side with me against him and let me fall on the bed. He released me and stood up, unbuckling his pants. I felt a pang of dread, we had reached the point of no return. I dragged myself against the end of the bed, he looked at me with burning eyes, a wicked smile playing on his mouth. He kicked out his boots and took off his pants and boxers.

His member finally sprang free, erect and hard. I realized it was the first time I saw him totally naked. The tattoo in his leg reached nearly below the hipbone, I also saw clearly the one on his chest, it looked like some kind of lion, tiger or large cat. His tanned and muscly body had scars on practically every limb, there was one especially conspicuous on the right side of his stomach.

“What is it, sweetheart, does the size impress you?” he mocked, eyes gleaming mischievously.

“I had already seen it,” I retorted.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said with a chuckle, his eyes glinting. He pulled from my ankle so I lay on the bed, my head against the pillow, and he crawled over me, like a predator. He kissed the top of my chest while he introduced one of his hands inside my panties, I closed my eyes and breathed out to make my body relax.

“So sensitive,” he sneered, he took one of my breasts into his mouth while he slipped two fingers deep into my pussy. He bit my nipple hard and I winced in response. I opened an eye, he raised his head and looked at me with a triumphant smile. 

“Come on, girl, you were doing fine, cooperating and all,” he whispered, I raised my arms and let them roam over his back, he rose and kissed me full on the lips, pushing his tongue into my mouth. He added his thumb to my clitoris and rubbed it in a circular motion, making my body arch against his.

“Fuck,” I muttered when he let my mouth go.

“You like it this way, don’t you?” he said huskily against my ear, I felt glad he couldn’t see my face. His hand slid out again, he caught the waistband of my panties and tugged them away. He let them hang for a moment from his fingers in a taunting way and threw them to the ground. Then he pushed a leg between my knees and forced them apart.

I looked at the ceiling, while he began to position himself, then something struck me.

“Wait! What about the condom?” I asked in a hushed tone, feeling the knot at the pit of my stomach tightening.

“No need for that, I’m clean,” before I said anything else, he pushed the tip inside. I groaned and arched against him. “Please, let all this be a nightmare,” whispered some recess of my mind. I looked at the ceiling again, but he caught my chin and made me look at him.

“Ask for it,” he whispered, I could see his face under the dim light of the evening. And then there was him between my legs, his body brushing against mine. “Beg me to fuck you,” he smiled wryly.

“Please…” I couldn’t believe it, never, not in a thousand years, I would have done it. “Fuck me,” I closed my eyes, thinking I would die of shame and humiliation.

He gave a mighty thrust and filled me completely, I groaned when he stretched me around his rod. He began with short strokes, I grunted, trying to get used to it. He pushed his body against mine, holding himself on his elbows. I heard him grunt, he grasped my head with one of his hands and pushed my mouth against his. I kissed him back, wishing time would pass swiftly.

It was as if my senses were being assaulted by thousands of stimuli. The mattress under me was slightly rough and cold against my skin, but his body was hot and softer in contrast, it felt hard and heavy over me, pressing me against the bed while he moved inside me. A smell of jungle and rain hung on the air; they mingled with the sweat, gunpowder and tobacco that characterized him, and now the liquid which he had used to clean the gun. I perceived my own sweat and my damp hair. The water kept pouring endlessly, splattering against the roof, nearly drowning our grunts and our loud breaths.

He increased his pace, making his thrusts longer and faster, I grasped his shoulders and tried to stifle a moan. Unfortunately, he had heard it and pushed further and harder, eliciting a true moan from my lips. He laughed hoarsely against my ear, I turned my head away from him in embarrassment. However, his actions were making my body respond, each thrust caused my nerves to be filled with sensations. If I had had a button to disconnect my brain from my body I would have done it, but that was just wishful thinking.

“Put your legs around me,” he growled against my ear, I hoisted and then curled them around his hips, hooking my feet behind his back. He pushed even deeper and faster, his hand turned my face towards his. “Look at me when I fuck you,” our eyes locked for a few seconds.

“Did you imagine when you saw me the first time that we would end up this way, hmmm?” he inquired, his voice coarse and low. He pushed even harder against me, going ever deeper.

His pace increased, now my breath was just as laboured as his, it was as if it took twice as much the effort to fill my lungs. My heart pounded against my chest, I could feel his fast heartbeat too. He grunted slightly with each thrust, pleasure building in our bodies. “Oh, please, not this time,” begged a distant echo in my mind. However, any remainder of consciousness or sensibleness was obliterated by the explosion inside my body. In the throes of a mind-shattering orgasm, everything disappeared, nothing mattered, not anymore.

I clutched his shoulders, pushing him harder against me, arching my back against his chest, I opened my mouth but no sound came. He grunted louder, and his body tensed over mine, he gripped my hips and gave one final thrust, then I felt something hot spurting inside my loins. He slumped over me, groaning like an animal in heat.

I opened my eyes little by little, my whole body trembled under him, his face was pressed against my cheek. I stopped sinking my fingers into his flesh and let them fall to the mattress. With a grunt, he pulled out of me, leaving a strange sensation of emptiness behind. He rested his head between my breasts, stroking with a warm hand down my slightly sweaty side. His hair tickled, and his beard scratched my hot skin. He pushed his fingers against my face and petted it, brushing a few strands of hair against my scalp.

We remained like that for a while; I closed my eyes, feeling exhausted, not just physically. He had won, he had finally got what he wanted. I had chosen the most advisable option for me if I wanted to keep living, just as his prisoner and not as the camp’s whore. However…it felt like a defeat, it meant that he could have anything he wanted, even myself.

He sighed, sounding just as tired as me, then he rolled off my body and got up, still naked. He strode to the fridge and drank abundantly from a glass bottle. I licked my lips, they were parched and dry; I hadn’t noticed how thirsty I was. He looked at me and raised the bottle, as if offering it to me.

“Want some?” he asked, I couldn’t distinguish the expression on his face.

“Maybe,” I conceded. I stood up, still feeling lightheaded and walked up to him, he passed me the bottle and put it to my lips. It was some strong liquor, probably whisky, but I drank deeply anyway.

“Easy there,” he said with a snigger, he took the bottle again and finished what was left, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and left the container.

He strode away and slipped inside his boxers, then walked to the door and leaned a hand against the threshold.

“Fucking rain,” he complained.

“Yeah, fucking rain,” I mumbled ruefully. Maybe if I hadn’t come back soaked he wouldn’t have wanted to have sex, or maybe it wouldn’t have mattered.

“Ah, there’s my weed!” he exclaimed, reaching for the bag still on the bed. He dragged the crate and sat on the mattress. While he rolled himself a joint, I gathered my underwear and put it on, then grabbed the grey tank from under the bed and slipped it over my head.  I sat on the corner of the bed , leaning against the bars of the window, watching the process. He finished and dragged himself against the window, next to me. He lit the joint and put it to his lips, taking a long drag. A puff of smoke rose into the air. He put it in front of me, I shook my head.

“Never had pot before?” he asked.

“Yeah, well, when I was a teen and sometimes with friends; but rarely, I don’t even smoke regular tobacco,” I answered.

He took a drag and blew the smoke on my face, I coughed and he laughed under his breath. We spoke no more; there was still tension on the air, but it was as if a big part of the awkwardness had ebbed away. Maybe it was just the effects of the hormones released by having sex, or the smoke of the joint; or maybe I wasn’t on edge because of him being in a murderous mood.

My eyelids began to droop, I rested my head against the bars, feeling the smoke enveloping me. It was as if I was floating on a cloud, even the coldness on my legs felt unimportant. I felt a tap on the shoulder, I turned towards the man beside me.

“Dinner, I’m starving,” he sounded half-asleep. I got up and put on the black shorts and my still wet trainers. Luckily, it had stopped raining, but everything was dark and wet. Some pirates were milling around the place, I joined the queue as always. My nether parts felt a bit sore, and I could still feel where he had touched me, like invisible fingerprints.

I remembered that we had used no protection. He had claimed to be “clean”; but, what if he had been lying? What if he was ridden with STDs and wasn’t aware of it? Besides, even if he was healthy, I could get pregnant; Vaas’ child, if that wasn’t a real nightmare, I didn’t know what it was. There were three options, wait and hope he hadn’t infected me with something and count the days until my period came; telling him, which would probably be of no help, he would ignore me or get angry; and finally, I could take care of the matter myself.

Maybe the doctor could help me, he would know what to do. He could have some tests so I could make sure that I had no illnesses and maybe something to stop the pregnancy. I would have to go the following day and convince him somehow, and hope he wouldn’t tell that madman.

Deep in my thoughts, I didn’t even pay attention to the cook’s rude comments, I just took the plates of vegetables and meat to the hill. The pirate had got dressed too and sat by the steps. I pushed the dish into his lap and sat, hungrily tucking into the food, I was starving too. I chewed while I decided what I was going to do; I would wait until he left for some reason and talk to the doctor.

He pushed the dish against my leg when he finished, I took them down again, still plotting inside my head. Yes, it was the only way, he had already taken my freedom and my body; I would not let him steal my health too.

When I came back he was tossing his tank to a corner again, I imitated him and began taking my clothes off, not even bothering to turn my back to him. He smiled in a self-satisfied way when I was naked. I looked at him, chin raised in a slightly haughty manner. What was there to fear right now?

I put on the tank and lay on my side, he sat on his and closed the metal circle around my ankle, almost mechanically. Then he turned off the lights and moved against me, he curled an arm around me and pulled me against him, I just sighed in resignation.


	13. 13- Plaster

****

**Hello! Sorry for the long wait, but these last weeks I have been extra-busy with a lot of homework and my finals.**

**However, here I have the thirteenth chapter, it's kind of an in-betweener, but I think it must be done. Soon I will start with some more action and things will get interesting very soon.**

**As always, thanks a lot for following, kudosing and reading this story, and thousands of thanks to SmakLia, sick_girl and Aylia1661 for their comments, I'm really glad you're liking this story!!!**

**This chapter doesn't contain a lot of violence, just the "usual" kind of things.**

**I hope you like it, I will try to write more during the holidays. If you have some question or comment, you can tell me :)**

 

* * *

A loud crashing sound and a piercing squawk woke me up, I wriggled out of the arm that pinned me against the mattress and sat up, vision blurred and disorientated. The man next to me sat up too, swearing in some unknown language. He looked through the window, confusion and wrath etched on his face.

“Fucking hell!! What the fuck was that?” he growled. I rubbed my eyes while he got up and ambled to the door wearing nothing but his boxers, he stuck his head out of the door and laughed raucously, I raised an eyebrow.

“A fucking bird just crashed against the wall, fucking idiot,” he came back inside, still laughing. I wriggled on bed, I needed to go to the toilet, urgently. He began putting his clothes on, looking in good spirits.

“Can you…” I pointed with my head towards the cuff, he picked the key and opened it, I put my feet on the ground and began picking my clothes. “Thanks,” I added, turning my head towards him.

I tied my still moist trainers on and walked to the back of the shanty, the ground was still dank from the rain from

 yesterday. The day felt fresher and nicer, maybe it wasn’t so bad that it had rained; I crouched amid the shrubs and relieved myself with a contented sigh. I remembered what had happened the last evening, I would have to find a moment to quietly slip away and look for the doctor.

The pirate came walking with long strides, whistling a tune. I didn’t think I had ever seen him in such a good mood; it was better this way. He walked a few steps away and I heard his zip, he sighed too. I got up and straightened my clothes.

“Look, chica, no hands!” he said, twining his fingers behind his neck. I fought to keep a straight face and contented myself with rolling my eyes. I went to the mirror and tried to comb my hair with my fingers, it was disordered, sticky and stank of rain and sweat; I needed a shower. Something caught my eye, I couldn’t contain a gasp of surprise and annoyance when I noted the marks on my neck.

I had a few purple and reddish bruises on the crook of my neck, throat, near the collarbone and even my right shoulder. They were hickeys from yesterday; there they were, plain for all to see. “That beast, now I’ll have to go around like this,” I thought sullenly, examining one just below my jaw with my fingers. It didn’t hurt, it was the fact that they were there that bothered me.

He had heard me gasp, he walked to me and forced me to turn towards him, he eyed the marks.

“Oh, yeah, I made those,” he smiled in a smug way, his scar creasing over his eyebrow. I decided not to ruin the day by telling him a few things I had in mind at that moment.

“I’m taking a shower,” I announced, and walked to the shack to get my things. Now all the clothes I had were dirty. I had changed clothes yesterday as the others were soaked, but the grey tank and the black shorts weren’t clean. I would have to wait until the red one and the jeans were dry again.

When I came back the pirate was examining himself on the mirror, scratching the side of his head thoughtfully. He turned to the other side and looked at himself.

“Hermana, do you think I should shave?” he asked, I stopped dead in my tracks and blinked in puzzlement. Did he want my opinion? Why?

“You mean…your head?” he nodded impatiently, twirling his fingers in the air, as if wanting me to continue. “Welll…I don’t know, your hair is longer but…” I just shrugged.

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna shave. It begins to itch,” he decided, raking his fingers through his hair. I prevented myself from snorting in irritation, why did he want my opinion if then he did whatever he wanted? I entered into the shower and fastened the door as well as I could. I started taking my clothes off, looking towards the door. I hoped he wouldn’t try and enter and just mind his own business, I needed some time for myself.

The cold clean water felt like a soft balm on my back. It rinsed away the sweat, the dirtiness; I poured some gel into my hand and began rubbing it across my chest. I shuddered at the cold, sticky substance; I spread it over my stomach and allowed myself to close my eyes. I moved them around, sighing contentedly, I had always loved taking showers, but on that island they were even more precious. I opened my eyes and, for one moment, it was as if some darker hands were against my skin, coarsely caressing my body, plasters brushing wherever they touched. I blinked again and all I saw were my hands, my smallish, paler hands.

“Fuck!” I roared full of fury; I felt angry at myself for letting him intrude even into my scarce moments of peace.

“What’s the matter, guapa? A lady shouldn’t be using that kind of words!” he yelled to make himself heard over the din from the falling water. “A lady? Like hell! He should talk, the patronizing bastard!” I grumbled inwardly.

“I’m fine!” I snapped loudly. I ended washing my body, still feeling irked at him and his constant presence. I rubbed my hair vigorously, taking snags and mud out of it as if I was pulling weeds from my garden.

 I got dressed again, practically kicking my legs into my shorts and went out of the booth, busy tearing snags out of my hair with a comb. The pirate was in front of the mirror, holding a knife; I looked at him for a few seconds, watching how he scraped away a few hairs near the temple. He had shaved the sides of his head, letting the Mohawk on top untouched; there were still some patches of black stubble on the back, though.

“Hey! Come here, I need your help,” he motioned me towards him with the hand that didn’t hold the knife. I walked towards him, eyeing him sceptically. “I need you to shave what’s left. I can’t see my head from this angle,” he motioned to his back. He offered me the knife; would he really be stupid enough to trust me with a weapon? I could easily slice his throat the moment he let his guard down; there was the problem of getting out of camp on broad daylight, though…

“One more thing,” he turned his whole body to me. “You try something with that knife…I’ll  cut each one of your fingers, ok?” I nodded silently. It was disturbing how he had nearly read my mind. He turned to the mirror again, waiting for me to start.

I did not even know how to hold the knife properly. What if I cut him while doing it? What if he didn’t like the result? I breathed out and raked my hair with my fingers.

“Come on, get a move,” he grunted.

“Shouldn’t it be easier with a razor?” I asked, gripping the knife clumsily between my fingers.

“Too slow, and start, for fuck’s sake,” he huffed. I put my right hand on his head to hold it, I pushed it downwards so the skin would be taut. He was taller than me, it would have been better if he had been sitting. I put the blade against his scalp and began to press it upwards, trying not to sink it into the skin. A few short bristly hairs fell on his tank; I did it again, careful not to hurt him. Short spiky hairs stuck to his tank; he was watching my every movement through the mirror, his eyes following my hands.

We didn’t talk all that time, only the slight sound of the knife scraping could be heard. His back was relaxed, he did not seem to mind me touching him. If he had been the one cutting my hair with a knife, I wouldn’t have been so unconcerned. That precise moment, one of my fingers slipped from the handle and the blade sunk slightly into his skin. His eyebrows scrunched together in pain for a second, and then a drop of blood began to slide down his neck. I swallowed, looking at him full of apprehension. Instinctively, I recoiled before he lashed out.

“Sorry, I’m really sorry, hand slipped…” I stammered. He took a hand to the cut and wiped the blood with his fingers.

“I should be beating the shit out of you for that, chica,” he hissed, he turned towards me; I closed my eyes tight, I felt something on my face.  Confused, I opened an eye, he was cleaning the blood on his fingers on my cheek. Then, even more surprisingly, he smirked. “You know how much I like red on you,” he whispered with a savage look on his face. “If you cut me again I’ll make sure you fucking regret it,” he turned again.

He hadn’t exploded, he had reacted in a _nearly_ normal way; my eyes felt ready to pop out in surprise. I put the blade to his skin again and this time slid it more cautiously, gripping the handle tightly. I had nearly finished doing one side; I sighed in relief when the last hairs tell. I began to shave the other side, careful not to touch the Mohawk, he would probably kill me if I so much as cut one hair. He had many little scars on that zone, hairless patches; they must have been from other times he had shaved. During those he didn’t seem to have done a good job either, as some clumps of hair were slightly longer than others.

“I think that’s all,” I said, he rubbed a hand over his freshly shaved scalp, trying to look at the back of his head in the mirror. “I still have some fuckers there, couldn’t scrape them off,” he said, pointing to the middle of his head. There was a thin strip of hair just below his scar. I sighed and made a gesture with my fingers so he would turn around. He turned on his heel and stood face to face with me.

I made another gesture so he would turn his head to the side, he grunted and looked right. I studied the hair, it was very close to the scar, too close for my liking.

“Are you cutting them or not? Don’t be such a fucking slowpoke,” he grumbled. I resisted the temptation of curtsying and saying “yes, Master,” he wouldn’t appreciate it.

 I walked so that my chest was turned to his arm and put my right hand on his head, holding it still. My fingers mixed slightly with his hair, hard and black between my fingers. I gripped the knife tightly and began to slide it next to his skin. I splayed my hand so I could hold his head more easily, the thumb fell nearly over the end of the big scar; I was almost touching it. Those hairs were thicker than the others, it took me twice as much the time to get rid of them.

“I think I’m finished,” I put the knife into his hands, he pushed me away and studied himself on the mirror; then he grinned. “Yeah, that feels so much fucking better, I’m gonna get a shower to get the damned hairs out of my back,” he grabbed my towel, which was on top of my bottles of soap on the ground.

“If you want I can lend you my shampoo and my gel too,” I scoffed sarcastically, watching how he slung it over his shoulder and entered the booth. “No, thanks, I don’t want to smell like a pussy with flowers and shit, there’s soap in my cupboard, bring me some,” he ordered.

I picked up the rest of my things. “The nerve of him!” I thought, I went into the shack and put my things under the bed, I opened the cupboard. It contained a bundle of frayed and faded red tank tops, some camo and khaki trousers and what looked like underwear carelessly stashed away in a corner. On one of the shelves there was a bar of soap. I took it and walked to the back, I knocked on the door.

“Your soap,” I said plainly when he opened the door, he took it.

“You trying to get a peek? Fucking pervy girl,” he smiled conceitedly, raising his eyebrows in a cheeky manner. I felt myself getting red in anger and outrage.

“I saw everything there was to see yesterday,” I retorted, one of his arms snaked out from the booth to ruffle my hair with a soaked hand; he sniggered under his breath.

“I saw all of you the second day we met, remember? Are you coming inside or what? Wouldn’t mind some help…” he smiled at me suggestively, his dark eyes full of mischief.

“Thanks for the offer, but I have just showered,” I turned on my heels and walked away. “I’m getting breakfast, ok?” Anything to stretch my legs and get away from him for a while. Maybe I could even go to the doctor and ask him for a morning-after pill, I didn’t think I would be able to have some tests but, the sooner I prevented any possible pregnancies, the better.

I ran to the doctor’s house; he would have a shower, but that didn’t mean a lot of time. I arrived out of breath, clutching the stitch on my side; well, it was my fault, I hadn’t breathed properly during the run. I knocked on the door and waited tapping a foot against the floorboards impatiently. The doctor appeared; he looked at me with surprise.

“Hi, are you busy or something?” I asked sheepishly, I felt a bit embarrassed at what I had to tell him.

“No, not really. Come in, please,” he looked at me with interest, he closed the door after us. “So…why did you come? I don’t think you came just to say hi, don’t you?”

“The truth is…I need your help. I had…sexual intercourse with Vaas yesterday, but he didn’t use a condom…” I blurted out, better not to beat around the bush. “I know I should have insisted…but, I couldn’t…” I added, feeling angry and stupid. He raised a hand, wanting me to calm down.

“I understand perfectly. Did he…force you?” he said in barely more than a whisper. I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn’t know what to say. It hadn’t been like those men who had grabbed and assaulted me, forcing me into submission; but I hadn’t done it on my own free will either. It could be said that he had coerced me into having sex.

“Well…he…he made me choose between that and being killed or given to the other pirates, and I chose,” I thought I saw compassion and understanding in his eyes.

“You don’t have to give me an explanation, I understand. So, I suppose you want the pill, isn’t it?” I nodded. He walked to a cabinet. “I have a lot of them stocked…it happens from time to time in this camp,” he said vaguely.

“What happens?” The question was if I really wanted to know that.

“Sometimes the guys get…a bit carried away with one of the captives. Sometimes the girls from Bad Town come to me looking for help, most of their clients refuse to wear protection,” he took out a little package.

“And…I’m worried about something else…Could he have infected me with something? I mean…I don’t know him at all…” my voice faltered, I was feeling myself blushing.

“I don’t think Vaas has any STDs, if that’s what you mean. He has never complained about any symptom that could indicate that kind of illness.”

“But, what if he had sex with one of the prostitutes? If many of the pirates refuse to use protection, there would be a big risk, wouldn’t it?” I insisted, the older man sighed.

“Vaas doesn’t seem to like prostitutes very much, I think he considers them below himself or something like that. He tends to…stick to captives, and I don’t think they were infected,” I bit my lower lip, slightly disgusted and maybe even a bit relieved. I wasn’t the only one, after all.

 “Couldn’t I have some tests?” I asked worriedly.

“You could, but it’s too soon to know. For example, in HIV it takes around three weeks until the body begins to produce antibodies. If you had one right now it wouldn’t be significant,” I felt my stomach sinking.

“Ok, I will tell you something I shouldn’t…I will be breaking my Hippocratic code, but…I don’t see any other choice. A few weeks before your plane landed on the island, a group found a newlywed couple. Vaas seemed to take some interest in the woman, and he took her to his shack, just for one night, though. After that, he brought her back to her cage, but a pair of days later he caught the woman with one of the pirates…she had been trying to convince that man to let her escape or something like that. Vaas went berserk and killed the woman and that pirate. He came a week later to ask for some tests, he thought she could have had sex with someone else before they had intercourse. I told him to wait, just like I told you; he came nearly two weeks afterwards and took the tests; he’s clean, he was telling you the truth.”

I felt a tiny flame of hope inside me, maybe he had been telling the truth.

“Did he have sex with someone else?”

“Not as far as I know. After that woman was killed her husband was shot too; the only people they captured afterwards were six men, biologists who had come to the island, one of them died after a beating,” I could have laughed in that moment, chances were high I wasn’t infected.

 “I must leave, your boss will be getting suspicious if I don’t come back,” I said, shaking in relief; he handed me the little package and made a gesture with his head. I left hurriedly; when I was out I began to run with long strides. I would have to run, but I couldn’t look too exhausted, or he would be suspicious.

I arrived at the canteen a few minutes afterwards, I picked a mango and two bananas from the box and walked fast towards the slope, the pirate was sitting on the steps, his face darkened and taut. He stood up and walked with long strides towards me.

“Where the fuck did you go?” he growled, stopping a few centimetres away from me, looking at me in anger.

“Picked breakfast,” I answered evasively, forcing myself to look into his eyes, trying to hide the obvious lie.

“Yeah, there’s no fucking way you could have been so late just for that. DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE LIE TO ME, CHICA,” he hissed, grabbing the front of my tank and pulling me even nearer. I supposed I would have to tell him the truth…but there was no need to tell the whole truth.

“Ok, calm down. I went for this,” I rummaged in my pocket and put the little cardboard box in front of him. He snatched it and read the printed words. “Levonelle,” he muttered under his breath. “That’s the shit you take when you don’t use a rubber, isn’t it?” he asked, looking at me again.

“Yes, basically,” I answered coolly. “Yesterday we didn’t use a condom and I don’t want to get pregnant.”

“Yeah, it would be a problem getting back home and telling your parents you’re knocked up,” he sneered, he slapped the package into my hands again; he grabbed his mango and walked away. “You could have told me, you know? It’s not as if I would kill you for not wanting a brat,” he sat on the steps.

“I can never know with you,” I thought and sat by his side, busy peeling the bananas. We ate silently; his mood had visibly changed, he was tense and eyed the camp in a displeased manner, I regretted having been gone for so long, now he would be even more unbearable.

I finished breakfast and threw the banana peels far away from me, he imitated me. Then, he seized a clump of my hair and turned my head violently towards him. I yelped in pain and surprise, his face was full of fury.

 “You tried to lie again. What did I say when you lied the first time, hmmm?” he growled, his face next to mine.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry!” I said in a loud and nervous voice. He reached with his free hand into his pocket, then pulled out his switchblade and opened it with his teeth.

“Then maybe I have to fucking remind you,” he pushed it against the skin of my thigh, making a thin line, a streak of blood began to wet my flesh. I squealed in pain, he kept pushing the blade in a thin straight line.

“I said I would cut you to fucking pieces,” he explained, as if I was a child and he was telling me that I should wash my hands before eating. My fists tightened in fear, I bit the inside of my lip. “This is the last opportunity, chica. I’m forgiving you because you were doing very well, don’t fucking spoil it now!” he roared, he released my hair and put the switchblade away. He left the step; I remained there, trembling slightly.

Breakfast was churning uncomfortably inside my bowels; I swallowed painfully, I knew it couldn’t last for long, I knew it. I entered into the shack,  a trickle of blood sliding down my knee. I picked the bag with my things and looked for the plaster, I still had a lot of them. I was beginning to pry the plaster away from the paper when the pirate came inside. I kept looking at the thin band, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“That won’t do shit, the cut is too long,” he said tiredly.

“It’s the only thing I have,” I mumbled; suddenly, something collided against my stomach, a little roll of adhesive bandage.

“Try with that,” he said, and he left. I noticed was the same one he used for his fingers and to hold the bandage of the hand into place. I pried it away and tried to cut a long piece with my teeth, but the material was too resistant. I looked to the side to make sure Vaas wasn’t near and reached for the tiny scissors, I cut it and then pushed them where they belonged. I put the strip of white tape on the cut.

I walked out of the room, leaving the roll of tape over the mattress; the pirate had left the place. I fell heavily to the ground, my hand went into the pocket that held the little package. I took out the tiny tablet wrapped inside a big plastic rectangle, then unfolded the prospect and frowned in concentration.

I was well aware of the effects those pills would have on my body; I had already had to take them on two occasions when the condom had failed. It wasn’t pleasant, not at all; I was in for a rough day.

I opened the container and pushed the tablet into my mouth, then forced myself to swallow, making a grimace in the process. I curled on my side on the grass, my eyes fluttered close and prayed for the medicine to do the trick.

Soft blades of grass tickled my skin, swaying softly under the breeze, stirring strands of hair. I cradled my head on my arm, allowing myself to enjoy the warm rays of sun on my skin. Where there had been rain and drabness the day before there was sun and colour, greenness. However, I was still trapped there, without any means of escaping that man, that camp, that island. I flopped onto my back and half-closed my eyes against the fiery ball’s glare; I got up grudgingly and walked to the glade behind the shack.

I felt like moving, I threw myself to the ground and did some exercise on a grassy patch, the earthy ground was still damp and I didn’t feel like soiling my tank further. The physical effort made me take my mind off everything there was on my head. When I finished, I lay where I was, sprawled on the ground, beads of sweat sliding down the sides of my forehead.

After a while, I decided to get up; my vision darkened and everything turned blurry. I groaned, holding my head between my hands for a few seconds. I struggled to get on my feet and dragged myself to the shack, trudging between the trees. Nausea threatened to attack at the pit of my stomach; gasping for breath, I entered into the shanty and slumped on the mattress.

They were side effects from the pill, no doubt about that. However, if the price for not having Vaas’ child was a day or two of nausea, headache and dizziness, I was more than willing to pay it. I curled on my side and tried to relax, trying to ignore the general malaise of my body.

“Did you imagine when you saw me the first time that we would end up this way, hmmm?” I remembered what he said the day before while we were having sex. Of course I hadn’t imagined that; heat rose to my face. That bastard had manipulated me, he knew what I would choose if he threatened me with death and rape by a whole camp. He had probably played the same trick with every woman he found interesting, attractive, fuckable or whatever. Promising us freedom or a better situation in exchange for sex, it should be pretty easy to accept. It hadn’t been for me, though; when I had walked up to him, it had felt like a defeat. However, he hadn’t put me back into a cage or killed me, yet.

I shuddered slightly. What did he want me for now that he had succeeded in taking me to his bed? Did he want to repeat it? It was the most logical explanation. I knew what I would choose between death and having sex with him again, even if it felt extremely cowardly.

I remained there, deep in thought. My body hurt, and my mind felt no better, I tossed and turned on the mattress. Stomping sounds threw me back into the real world, the pirate had come back.

“Why are you looking so down, chica?” he asked while he walked to the fridge and picked up a beer. I remained there, half-curled into a ball.

“It’s the pill, side effects, you know?” I replied. “And it’s your fucking fault,” I hissed inwardly, he just shrugged noncommittally. “I’m going to the toilette,” I said apathetically and got up to leave, I didn’t need to go, but I wanted to get away from him. However, as I walked to the entrance, he grasped my shoulder and pushed me against the desk.

“I know of something that would improve your mood,” he put his arms on each side of the desk, leaving the open beer on it. He smiled at me knowingly. My body tensed up, he wanted it again.

“I don’t think that would help,” I muttered evasively. I didn’t do anything else, it was useless, both of us knew it.

“You didn’t complain yesterday when I fucked you, did you?” he slid his face to my ear, one of his hands slithered up my thigh, touching the cut he had made that same morning. He pressed his body against mine, forcing me to half-sit on the desk, the other hand pushed me further until my feet dangled. “You liked what I did,” he mumbled, his voice coarse and low; I just closed my eyes and forced myself to stay still.

He nuzzled my neck with his nose and began to bite it, I gasped when his teeth sank on my sensitive skin. “You liked it, didn’t you? You came…” he muttered again, his other arm encircled my waist.

“Yes, I had an orgasm,” I admitted through gritted teeth; “but that means nothing, you pretentious bastard,” I thought sulkily. He pushed my body against his, forcing me to separate my legs so we would be nearer. I inhaled sharply while he kept coarsely biting my throat; I had been right all along, he had kept me there to repeat it.

I saw movement through the corner of my eye, three men dressed in black and yellow  stood outside the building. I tried to push Vaas away, he looked behind himself and his face adopted an extremely displeased expression.

“We aren’t interrupting anything, are we?” asked a bald man wearing a black bulletproof vest, he had a deep German accent. Vaas’ jaw clenched when he saw the man, his hand closed over my thigh, almost instinctively.

“There’s one thing that’s called knocking on the door, didn’t the Krauts teach you some fucking manners?” snapped the pirate.

“Sorry, we didn’t know you had such nice company,” said the bald man with clear goatee with an idle smile. “We need to talk, we haven’t come to watch you fucking some girl,” the pirate grunted and got away from me, clearly disgruntled.

“You stay there,” he growled towards me, he walked through the door and left with the three other men.

 I remained where I was, who were those men? They didn’t look like pirates, they wore different colours and better clothes. Also, even though Vaas had treated them rather hostilely, he hadn’t reacted in a violent manner. Had they been his men, in the best of cases, he would have yelled at them to go away, or he would have resorted to his gun. He had left with them, although clearly reluctantly.

I didn’t know what to make of all that; I just lingered there, sitting on the table. That had been near, I wasn’t in the mood for sex with anyone, least of all with that lunatic. Nevertheless, I was just delaying the inevitable, he would come back again.

I sat on the bed, he had told me to stay inside, what for? It wasn’t as if I was going to escape with him roaming around the camp and in a buzzing nest of pirates. The minutes passed, he came making loud noises with his feet, as if he wanted to destroy the ground around himself. He gave a mighty kick to the door when he entered, a loud metal clang rang inside the shack.

“What are you gawking at, puta? Find my face funny or something, huh? Go get something to eat! I don’t have you here to sit on your ass all the fucking day!” he gesticulated wildly, making ample and fast motions with his arms. Without thinking it twice, I ran out of the shack to get out of his range.

I arrived at the canteen zone, looking nervously over my shoulder to make sure that that lunatic hadn’t followed me. I joined the queue, glad I had left that place just in time. A pirate in front of me was picking his nose unashamedly while he talked to the next man in the queue.

“Why did Becker and his fuckers come?” asked the one in front of me, a bald guy with a red piece of cloth tied around his forehead.

“They wanted to see Vaas, why else? Hoyt must have some new demands or something, the boss looked in a shitty mood when they left. Mind you, it’s not hard to get him on a mood,” I restrained myself from huffing to show my agreement.

“Well, I don’t give a fuck just as long as we don’t have more work to do, it’s already bad with the boss being a pain in the ass with the patrols and shit,” said the other in a bored tone.

The conversation shifted towards patrol duty or whatever they did, complaining about one pirate or another, the heat, the gnats, etc. My interest vanished gradually and I began to look at the canvas over us, the rays filtered it like sand falling through a black sieve. We reached the cook with his enormous pot and pot-bellied figure.

“What, bitch? Are you having a good time sucking Vaas off?” I closed my mouth to prevent myself from spitting at him and contented myself with glowering at his ruddy face. He splashed some kind of stew into the plates and I left.

A big bunch of bullies, that’s what they were, the whole lot of them; thinking that just for being a woman and smaller than them they could do anything they pleased. And, of course, their warlord was the chief bully, frightening others into doing things. Seething internally, I reached the top of the hill; rage was replaced by wariness.

The pirate sat on the steps, his chin leaning over his closed fist, he had his eyes closed and his eyebrows were knitted together, in an almost pained grimace of concentration. His eyelids snapped open when I got near, he took the dish from my hands almost apathetically.

I sat on the edge of the plank, prepared to jump at the minimal sign of danger and looked at him through the corner of my eye. He began to stab a piece of meat with a dulled fork, as if he wanted to destroy it.

“This fucking meat is as hard as the fucking sole of my boot, bring me beer,” he grunted. I left the dish and hurried to the fridge. The bottle he had started before sat on the desk, but I picked a new one anyway; I handed it to him.

He looked as if he was ready to pounce on anyone that would dare look at him in an unpleasing manner. He opened the beer with his teeth and spat the cap far, then took a long swig. I would have to be extremely careful that day, or I would pay the consequences.

We finished eating, I took the dishes down meekly, not daring to say even a word. I hated living in such a constant state of fear, I wanted my freedom back. However, it was as if my other life had been just a pleasant dream where I didn’t have to fear anything; it seemed as if I had already spent a thousand years in that harsh, perilous place.

The pirate lay on bed, his hands locked behind his neck, sulking like a child. Had it been someone else, I would have probably tried to ask them what was wrong, what happened. However, I did not dare ask, nor did he deserve my concern. I picked the book up and crawled to the unoccupied space he had left.

Silence was thick, not even the crickets made noise; I looked at him sideways, careful not to move. He was staring at the ceiling, jaw clenched and eyes trained on a beam, he barely even blinked.

The minutes passed like some slow river trickling through a tiny hole; I slipped in an out of the book, trying to hammer the words into my head. After a while, he swung his legs out of bed and got up, then left through the door, closing it with a loud bang. Then, I heard the lock clicking loudly; I wanted to scream with indignation and run at the door to tell him a pair of things, but that was out of the question.

I walked to the door and I pressed the handle, but I knew it would be useless. I lay on bed again, I would have to wait for him to return in a better mood. The book didn’t attract me, I was too angry for that.

Why had he closed me inside? These days he had left me free to roam whenever I wanted. A raspy voice laughed within. “Because he’s totally nuts, that’s why,” she answered, full of mocking glee. “You think you should be happy he hasn’t given you to those other hyenas, but…he’s the worst thing that could happen to you.”

The afternoon was long and pointless; I tried to walk around that lugubrious and hated space. The shadows fell, but nothing was as sombre as my mood, nothing could rescue me from that nightmare.

He came back when it was very dark, I perceived the reek of blood and gunpowder when he was near enough. His arms hung at his sides, limp; the expression in his face was still surly and bitter. 

“Food,” he said plainly, I left for the canteen. Knowing that he wasn’t so full of contained wrath was a calming thought, I wouldn’t have to be as tense. I got the food, as always; I did everything perfunctorily and smoothly, as if I had been doing it for years: waiting in the queue trying to ignore the pirates’ raucous voices, keeping a blank face when I saw that damned cook with his taunting comments, and going up the slope with a dish on each hand.

We ate in awkward silence; I found it baffling, he had always looked at ease with me (too much at ease for my liking, maybe) but now it was as if he didn’t really know what to say to me, when he had always had some nasty or witty comment to say. I left the empty plates on the pile when we finished. I came inside, the pirate sat cross-legged on the mattress a cigarette between his fingers, I sat with my back against the window with the battered book.

When he finished his cigarette he got up and took a pill from the little bottle, then drank water. He began taking his clothes off, flinging them against the wall. I prepared myself to sleep too and lay on the bed, my face looking to the wall. He closed the cold metal circlet around my ankle and then lay down next to me, his back against mine.


	14. Chapter 14- Silence

**Hello everyone!**

**Fourteenth chapter, with it I have written nearly 150 pages of story. I think it's the longest one I've ever written.**

**Thank you again for reading my submissions, I hope you are liking them. And thanks to Joy for her comment on the 13th chapter and for those who gave me kudos!**

**I do not own Far Cry nor none of its characters.**

**So, here's the following part of the story. There will be a lot of action during the next chapters so, be prepared ;). As always, don't hesitate to post any reviews or send me comments!**

* * *

 

The first thing I felt when I woke up was cold, I shivered and curled into a ball. There was a pale clarity coming through the window and the open door. The pirate had left the bed, goose bumps grew on my back due to the cool sensation. I looked towards the door, he was sitting there, half-naked and with a cigarette between his fingers. His shoulders were slumped and his head was bowed low, staring into the ground. A thin wisp of silvery smoke rose into the air leisurely. He remained motionless, like a chiselled piece of stone, scratched by time and the elements; the only thing that moved was the pungent smoke. He kept looking forlornly into the ground, distraught and sunken in his mind. He looked very different from the man that terrorised everyone, especially me; there was…sadness and concern on his face.

As if alerted by a sixth sense, or instinct, he raised his head to look at me. Our eyes met, I was half leaning on my elbow, looking at him in silence. He peered at me for a few seconds; it felt like being pierced, as if he was searching inside me.

“Go back to sleep, hermana, it’s fucking early,” he said in a rather subdued tone. I leaned my head against the pillow and gathered the rumpled sheets against my body, trying to protect myself from the coolness. I curled on the mattress and tried to fall asleep.

I heard him leaving the steps and walking over the creaking floor, then the mattress sunk under his weight and his back was pushed against mine. He wiggled for a few minutes, trying to get comfortable. Then, he rolled on his back until his chest was against me and imprisoned me under his heavy right arm; he pushed away the sheets I had rumpled against my chest and left his hand resting over my stomach.

“Well, now at least you won’t be cold,” said the raspy voice cynically. I inhaled deeply and then exhaled, my back expanding against his body, only the thin fabric of my tank separated us. I just hoped he wouldn’t remember that we had left some unfinished “business” in the morning. However, he didn’t look in the mood for that, he just sighed and slumped against me.

 

A pair of spanks on my thigh shook me out of my slumber, I moaned in displeasure and covered my eyes with an arm.

“Arriba, chica,” he commanded, he opened the handcuff. In a most unwise mood, I decided to ignore him for a pair of minutes, I wanted to enjoy those last moments of comfortableness.

“Well, if you don’t want to wake up…we could do something on bed, how does that sound?” his hand squeezed my thigh and then began to trail towards my tank, which had ridden up to my ribs during the night.

 I jumped out of the bed, he burst into a fit of laughter. He sat on bed, clutching his stomach. Bristling, I looked at his laughing form , my body thrown into a state of alert and wariness.

“Go fetch breakfast before I eat you,” he cocked an eyebrow at the innuendo. “I’m starving,” he added with a crooked and savage smile. Hoping to get out of his reach as soon as possible, I started getting dressed; he got to the desk and began to put all his weapons into place.

When I finished, I strode out of the shack; the day was warm and dry, fat and fluffy clouds hung on the sky, another perfect day on the Rook Islands. I looked at the irregular patchwork of shanties and then immersed myself into that maze of huts; the canteen was teeming with pirates, like a herd of big, stupid oxen.

I picked up the usual fruits and got back, I tried to shoo away a big mosquito by flailing my arms at it. I already had a few bites on my lower back and legs, and it was taking all my self-control not to scratch them. The pirate came out of the back of the shack, I tossed him his mango and sat on my step, he slumped on his side with a loud grunt.

I missed a simple cup of coffee in the morning, it always put me in a good mood, but I considered myself extremely lucky by having something to eat, anything. When we finished having breakfast the pirate began lighting a cigarette, he took out a matchbox and struck a match.

Then, a young, gangly black man appeared at the top of the hill, a Kalashnikov slung over one shoulder, he looked at the ground in an almost sheepish manner.

“What do you want, brother?” asked Vaas while he took a drag from the cigarette, I realized it was the Somali guy that had taken me outside of the cage that time, he looked at me from the corner of his eye.

“Sorry boss, doc sent me. Says he needs the girl.”

“What do you mean he needs the girl?” interrupted the other impatiently.

“Told me he has to pick medicines or some shit like that, and he needs to leave the baby with someone…her mother is with the guys, and he thought the girl could do it…” mumbled the young man, I noticed how he twisted the fabric of his pockets.

“Why should I give a fuck about that?” retorted the pirate lord. “He can call any of the guys to take care of the brat, why should she go, do you think I’m an idiot?” he growled.

“No, sir, of course not…but we don’t know anything about babies…” said the young man hurriedly. His extremely dark skin had turned a paler hue, he looked about to run away, and I didn’t blame him. The warlord huffed tetchily, he rubbed a hand down his forehead, deep in thought.

“OK, she will go. But you are staying with her,” he rummaged into his pocket and took out his switchblade, he opened it. “See this, kiddo?” he asked, still talking calmly; the young man nodded perfunctorily, his Adam’s apple moved when he swallowed.

“If you so much as lay a finger on her…if you touch her or harm her in any way…” he made a downward stabbing motion with the blade.

“This will go right into your nutsack,” his boss looked at him with a stern scowl on his face. “The same goes for anyone who tries to touch her. And if you allow any of those fuckers to get near her…I’ll turn you into mincemeat for the dogs, ok?” his voice still sounded smooth and low, but the rage and the madness were right behind the surface, prepared to shatter it at any moment.

“Yeah, boss, I will remember it,” he pulled the strap that held the AK-47 to readjust it.

“OK, chica,” he pointed to me and then to him. “You go with him,” I looked at the young man and got up from the steps, he began walking and I followed him at a prudential distance. The tension from the Somali man’s shoulders decreased a tiny bit, when we were far enough he turned his head and looked at me with curiosity. I remembered how he had groped me that day and a mixture of anger and disgust filled me.

We walked for a long while, I had to make an effort not to fall too far behind, as he walked with long strides. He didn’t look older than eighteen or nineteen, he was possibly one of the youngest amongst the pirates. They looked from different ages, but they ranged around the twenties or the thirties.

Vaas himself couldn’t be too old, he should be around his mid or late twenties. I had been living with that man for nearly two weeks and I didn’t know his age, nor his surname; not even if Vaas was his real name if we came to that. The only thing I knew for sure was that he was totally unhinged and that he had developed enough interest in me to keep me with him instead of in a cage.

The young African man twisted around to throw me another look, I looked straight into his eyes, he turned around again. We arrived at the doctor’s house, he was outside of it, a backpack over his shoulder and two pirates at his sides.

 One of them was extremely bulky, he wore a bulletproof vest and his face was covered by a welding mask, which gave him some eerily inexpressive quality, his powerful hands held a massive machine gun. The other also wore a vest plus some padding held over his arms and knees with duct tape, his face and head were covered by a red cap and a scarf, he had a Kalashnikov leaning against his shoulder. The doctor smiled at me encouragingly, the corners of my mouth rose slightly in response, he walked towards me and took me a little apart.

“I thought the boss had decided not to let you come,” he said. “The little girl is inside, she’s sleeping in her mother’s bed. I should be back at noon, she won’t be coming very soon, don’t worry,” he added when he noticed my concerned expression. “One more thing…I would not advise you to leave the building, or to open the door, either. I know Vaas has spread word that you…are with him, but still, it wouldn’t be too advisable for you to be around alone.”

“Don’t worry, doc. I have to stay with her,” said the low Somali guy’s voice behind me, the doctor looked at him with his sharp greyish eyes in an appraising way.

“Well, that should be enough to keep certain people away from her…I have to leave, take care of her,” he told my companion.

He left the place with the other men following him closely. The young pirate pushed me towards the building, I threw him a dirty look and walked purposely inside. The place was deserted, I peeked through the door that led to the room with the beds and saw a tiny figure under the sheets of the furthest bed.

She was sleeping, it was rather early in the morning. I should probably let her sleep more; I didn’t know how much a baby her age had to sleep, but better more than less. I went to the outside, the man held me by the shoulder.

“Yo, where the hell you think you’re going?” he asked gruffly.

“Outside,” I replied in a cool manner, I swatted away his hand and opened the door.

“The boss told me to keep an eye on you, and you shouldn’t go out,” he said, following me like some lanky and talking dog.

“Sorry, I need no babysitting, especially not from some kid,” I spat, I sat outside, my back against the wall.

“Shut the fuck up, bitch. Boss told me to stay with you, I would be crazy if I disobeyed him. Besides, you here by yourself would be like leaving a candy on a table, everyone could take it,” he concluded, he sat at the other side of the wall, leaving his gun on the ground.

“I’m not a child, I’m old enough to take care of myself,” I growled. I hated when someone thought I wasn’t capable of getting by, I was an adult, I had been able to cope with every obstacle I had found until that moment. “And if you call be “bitch” or something like that again I will hit you, I swear. I have a name, you know?” I looked at him peevishly.

“What is your name, then? If I can’t call you anything else I’ll need to know it,” the young man glared at me in annoyance.

“Sofía,” I said plainly. I felt something strange when I uttered my own name. I hadn’t heard it in nearly two weeks. I was Sofía Gómez Martín, a Spanish girl who should be in Australia to study her Master degree, but had ended up in a remote South Pacific island as the captive of some local warlord called Vaas. It was as if someone had given me a shot of reality in that very moment.

“OK, Sofía. I’m staying with you and I don’t give a fuck about what you want or think, I’m just doing my job. I’d rather be having a beer with the other dudes or something, but I’m fucking stuck with you,” spat the young man. “So, let’s make it easy for both of us,” he took out a cigarette box out of a pocket and then a lighter, he lit one for himself and offered me the package.

“I don’t smoke, but thanks,” I replied, feeling slightly calmer, however, there was still coldness in my voice. He huffed while he exhaled some smoke.

“You were a lot nicer the day I met you, flirting and that,” he said looking towards me, I snorted derisively.

“I was nice because I had to, I needed to go to the toilet,” I drawled, looking at a nearby chicken that was pecking the ground.

“I suppose you don’t behave so rudely with Vaas, or you would have a nice gunshot between your eyes,” he turned his head towards me.

“He doesn’t deserve anything better than the rest of you, but yeah, I would rather live,” I quipped.

“You must be a really good fuck if he has kept you with him so long. Pity you didn’t come with me that time before he claimed you, you would have liked it,” a wicked white smile appeared on his dark face, he winked in a cheeky way.

“You could always try with any of the other captives, that’s what you use to do, isn’t it? And now your boss has left Sarah available to everyone, so you shouldn’t have any problem finding some “good fuck”,” I said scathingly, he clicked his tongue in response.

“If I did, Vaas would hang my balls from a tree or something. And the woman from the fight…pschht, she has enough on her plate already, and not my kind of girl, anyway,” I heard wailing from the inside, I rushed to the room where the baby was, the young pirate after me.

The baby was fidgeting among the sheets that covered her, I picked her up and walked again to the outside. I sat her on my lap and began to rock softly on the spot, she stopped crying soon.

The pirate sat again where he was, he stared at us for a few seconds, then the corners of his mouth curled upwards and his expression softened slightly. He chortled under his breath and took a drag from the cigarette. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering what he found so funny.

“You look like my sister with the baby,” he explained.

“Your sister?” I asked with curiosity.

“Yeah, she had her first kid when she was seventeen years old, just after she married her husband, when I left she was pregnant with the third,” there was a certain sadness in his voice, all of a sudden, he looked much older.

“Where is she?”

“Merca, a town near the sea, not far from Mogadishu,” he said. Deciding that maybe I was intruding too much, I decided not to press on the matter.

That boy had a family, just like me; the rest of the pirates probably had relatives somewhere else: fathers, brothers, mothers, children, wives….Even Vaas must have a family, I reflected. I looked at the young man next to me and studied him surreptitiously. He was tall and thin, but he had an athletic build, like a runner. He wore threadbare camo trousers, mud-stained military boots and a sleeveless T-shirt with a sprayed skull. His extremely dark, curly hair was cropped really short, enhancing his rounded head. He had a rather long face with long nose and high cheekbones, his eyes were very dark too.

We remained silent after that, but it wasn’t like the silence that fell between Vaas and me, full of tension, it was more companionable. Of course, there was still some unease, but I didn’t see him as threatening as the other pirates. He looked a rather normal guy, hardened and blunt though he was; he exhaled smoke again. The baby was relaxed in my arms, looking at me with big blue eyes; I realized they were like her mother’s.

Some men were roaming around the camp, they looked at our trio: a young pirate, a baby and a young woman. There was a wall nearby, the gate was open but guarded. On top of metal containers used for transportation was a pair of pirates holding long sniper rifles, scanning into the distance. Apart from the doctor’s house, the place was rather empty; only two more makeshift buildings, one of them looked like a warehouse and the other was some improvised lounge with thatched roofing and some couches and sofas with torn covers.

Some white chickens roamed around, pecking some grains from the earthy soil. The sun was high in the sky, now there were no clouds to cover that beautiful blue. The baby started making cooing noises and blowing raspberries. Her pale blond locks were shiny and silky, and her tiny clothes were a bit faded and old, but they were clean; she also felt heavier than the last time I had held her. I couldn’t help but smile, if only slightly; none of us deserved what had happened to us, but that baby deserved it even less.

“How is living with Vaas?” a voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked at him keenly for a few seconds.

“You should imagine it, he’s your boss, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, but I don’t really know him, been here only two months,” he replied. “Besides, I’m in the lowest rank and Vaas only talks with other big shots like Carlos or Bornani, not with riffraff like me and my mates,” he said.

“Carlos?” I frowned slightly, that name rang a bell. “Isn’t he that guy with aviator sunglasses and pieces of red cloth on his head?”

“Yeah, he’s Vaas’ second in command. What, then? Is he always…you know, joking one moment and after that he goes nuts?” I snorted with laughter.

“Yes,” I sobered up. “Sometimes…I don’t know, I’m always wondering what to say, what to do. Because I can never know how he will react, if he will laugh and taunt me or if he will take out his knife, his gun or whatever and hurt me,” I stopped to take a breath. “I know I’m not safe, he killed the Japanese because he told him to leave that boy alone, and then he shot that man because he slapped me…” I stopped dead.

“Oh yeah, the guy they brought to the canteen zone. I don’t think I have ever seen him so pissed off. One of the other recruits almost pissed his pants, he scared the shit out of me too. Threatened with disembowelling us and then hanging us from a tree with them if we got “too friendly” with you, and he’s very capable of it,” I shuddered slightly at the thought. “That would discourage anyone. I mean…you are rather fuckable and that, but not worth it,” he said with a slight smile, I cocked and eyebrow and eyed him.

“Do I have to take that as a compliment?” I inquired, his white smile broadened.

“I suppose,” he threw the butt of the cigarette to the ground and stamped his foot over it to put it out.

We didn’t talk for a while, the little girl toyed with my loose hair, like the first time I had to hold her, during the ransom videos. It felt as if a bucket of frozen water had fallen over me. How much time had passed since that? We had landed around fifteen days ago, and we had recorded the video on the third…that meant…thirteen days had passed. Vaas had given our families fourteen days. A bead of cold sweat slid down my forehead, I felt nauseated; tomorrow would be the last day to receive the ransom money if my parents hadn’t sent it yet. How could I have forgotten it? I had totally lost track of time in that place; I clenched my jaw in fear and anger at myself.

It was impossible they had got hold of 300,000 dollars in only two weeks, it was a fortune. My parents were average people with average wages; I felt like throwing up, I closed my eyes for a few seconds and hung my head low. How could I have been so stupid? I had been oblivious to the fact that, no matter how hard I fought to survive, I would probably die because my hardworking parents wouldn’t be wealthy enough to satisfy that psychopath, that murderer. A horrible pressure tightened around my midriff, as if some giant iron fist was squeezing me. I had been so worried with petty concerns like trying to avoid having sex with Vaas and securing food and clean clothes for myself that I had almost forgotten it.

My whole body trembled, a tiny voice inside me whispered that maybe everything wasn’t lost, that perhaps they had found enough money, somewhere, somehow. But, deep inside, I knew it was useless, impossible.

I got up, holding the little baby carefully, I needed to go away. I walked to the young pirate, he looked at me with confusion filling his face when I presented him the baby.

“I need to drink water, I’ll be back in a minute,” I got inside of the house and looked around, there was an old sink on a corner with a hose dangling over it, and a cabinet with a mirror over it. I drank abundantly, and then allowed the water to soak my mouth. I raised my head, my hands grabbing the rim of the sink.

My hair fell around my face in a messy way and water trickled down my mouth towards my neck, the hickeys had turned a yellowish hue and the scratches from the fight were nothing but four parallel red marks on my skin. I was extremely pale, I looked already dead; a grisly image of a gaping bullet hole on my forehead appeared in my mind, fresh blood sliding down my nose.

I wished I could escape, there was a door right there, even if it was guarded by two snipers. Maybe I could distract the boy long enough to get his weapon so as to kill those two guards with it, and then run away before the gunshots attracted everyone nearby. “Of course,” said a scornful voice inside, “because you, with no military training whatsoever and no idea about how to handle a weapon can reduce that kid first and then get rid of the other two. The best use you could give to that Kalashnikov is to put a bullet into your own head before Vaas does.”

I was drowning in despair, I couldn’t breathe. Looking into the mirror one last time, I left that place. Knees trembling and fingers twitching nervously, I took the baby into my arms and sat again, staring into the ground, my mind went totally blank.

“I’m going for food, want some?” it was as if two cotton balls had been pushed into my ears, I shook my head and tried to focus.

“Yeah, whatever,” I mumbled.

“You’d better get inside until I come back, I wouldn’t have to worry about you or the baby getting hurt,” I got up in silence and obeyed, like a docile lamb. I sat on the ground when I was inside, my back against the desk where I had seen the doctor working. The baby looked happy, she giggled while she stretched herself to grab my nose; I allowed her to do it.

What would happen to her and her mother? Had they been lucky and their families had enough money? They had asked even more for them, I couldn’t understand how they could know which quantity to ask. I bit my lips hard, and a metallic taste filled my mouth; I wished I could forget everything, I wished I had never taken that plane, I wished I had told my parents I loved them.

Wishing for all that wasn’t going to help me, it would only make matters worse, if they could possibly be worse. Tears began to brim my eyes, I wiped them off with the back of my hand. What was the use of crying? And I didn’t want the young pirate to see me that way, though it mattered little at that moment.

Someone rapped on the door, the pirate stuck out his head through the open door. He opened it more with his foot, he was holding two dishes.

“You coming out or not? C’mon, I’m fucking hungry,” I doubted that I would be able to swallow anything, but I came out anyway. “Hey, the baby should eat too, but we only have our food,” I frowned slightly, I walked to the room with the beds to see if there was something for the baby. Nothing edible, but I saw a piece of paper on the bedside table which I hadn’t noticed before. With a tidy and slightly curly handwriting said “There’s food for the baby in the fridge next to my desk,” that doctor was incredible; he was the exact opposite of the rest of people I had met in that place: good-mannered, considerate, and thoughtful.

I went to said fridge and opened the door, there was a little plastic container with some kind of puree with a little spoon ready to be used. I took it out, holding the baby on the other arm and sat. The young man had already started eating from the plate of rice and meat. I began feeding the baby first, she seemed to like the food, whatever it was.

When I finished, I put her between my legs and allowed her to play with the empty  container and the spoon. I crammed a big forkful of rice into my mouth, trying not to choke on it; I swallowed and took another, and another, like an automat.

“By the way, just in case you want to know it. I’m Samatar,” said the young man after a while. I looked at him from the corner of my eye, he was twisting a piece of paper he had found on the ground. We looked at each other for a pair of seconds, he had turned to be rather nice after all, even though I had rather disliked him the day I met him, pity I had to discover it that moment.

The baby’s eyelids were beginning to droop, her little body was beginning to slump against me. She was content, her belly full, protected under the shade from the burning sun, not a worry in the world, unaware that her life would come to an end soon if she was unlucky. Was her mother conscious of what was going to happen to them? Or maybe she had been so engrossed in her routine that, like me, she had ignored it; or maybe she preferred not to think about it.

If she saw me right then she would probably lose control, thinking that maybe I was going to harm her baby, perhaps it wasn’t so bad that Samatar was with me, not to protect me from the other pirates, but from her.

I watched the baby falling asleep and snuggled her close to me, lying against my chest. She yawned and I fixed my gaze to the high mountains that surrounded the zone. Green, lush and alive, with that big and infected wound that was the camp; it blemished its surface, rotten to the core.

Samatar sat in a more slumped manner, his Kalashnikov propped against the wall, ready to be used. One of the pirates that guarded the entrance began to whistle and hum under his breath, the other just kept pacing over the container, silent and cold.

The shadows of the afternoon were beginning to loom over us, I shivered slightly, the sun had heated the area but was gradually abandoning it. Everything was turning dark, I perceived the smoke from one of the nearby cabins, it was pleasant, I always liked the smell of burning firewood. It reminded me of those autumn days in Spain, when it was near dusk and I was coming back home through the deserted streets.

A loud rumble disrupted the calm ambiance and a red Jeep stopped in front of the door and two figures jumped from it. I recognized one of the figures immediately, maybe it was the Mohawk or his general frame, but it was Vaas, the other looked rather familiar.

He stalked into the walls, the other figure, which I thought to be Carlos, following him. Samatar had snapped out of his nap and was watching warily the figure that walked toward us, he stood up in a martial manner that would have looked comical so stiff and exaggerated it was. Grudgingly, with that permanent knot at the pit of my stomach, I stood up too, holding the baby carefully against me.

“Hasn’t the doc come back?” he asked gruffly, looking at me and his subordinate. The other shook his head negatively. The pirate lord grunted impatiently.

“Then you will have to take care of the brat, kiddo; the girl is coming back now. You stay until the doc or her mother comes, then you can go wherever the fuck you want. Chica, give him the baby,” he added towards me; I presented him the little girl, she began to cry when I separated her from the warmth of my body. Samatar tried to soothe her putting her against his shoulder, her wails subsided bit by bit.

“Wow, you should be a babysitter instead of a warrior,” said his boss in a jeering tone. “C’mon, chica, let’s go,” he told me, he whistled and made a movement with his head to make me move. 

I walked in front of him, my neck prickled because I had the sensation that he wasn’t taking his eyes of me. Carlos slipped away quietly, and we were left alone; he walked up to me and matched my pace, he looked calm and relaxed, totally at ease.

“Did that scumbag give you any problems?” he asked.

“No. Why should he? He knows what could happen to him if he tried to touch me or whatever,” I replied, apparently pleased with himself, he grinned.

We climbed up the slope, a pebble moved while I was stepping on it and almost lost my footing, he seized my shoulder to prevent me from falling. Then, he released and pushed me onwards.

“Clumsy,” he stated with a low chuckle.

We entered into the shack, I sat on bed and the pirate sat next to the pile of DVDs on the corner. He began to fling those that didn’t interest him behind himself, muttering the names of the films while he did it. One of them he threw so violently that one of the corners from its box hit me in the face.

“Ouch!” I yelped loudly, he turned his head towards me and looked at me quizzically. “That hurt,” I complained, I rubbed the spot where the box had collided with my hand.

“Sorry,” he said, a little smile crossed his mouth fleetingly, he was not sorry at all. “Go get the food, this will take a while. Where the fuck did I put it? If I didn’t have the head over my shoulders, I would probably lose it,” he said to himself.

I got up and left, night was falling steadily. The reddish glow from the light bulbs of the camp had begun to glow, pirates walked around, some still with their weapons around and others preparing for the night, dining, having a beer.

The queue advanced, like robots on a production machine. I stepped in front of the dirty cooker and showed him the empty dishes I held.

“You didn’t come for your food before, I suppose you have enough with the boss’ wiener,” he said after belching loudly.

More of the same, at least he could try to be a bit creative. It was probable that the next day I wouldn’t have to see him, whether it was because I was dead or because my parents had paid. I could have told him something, but I didn’t know what and, what was the point, anyway? I picked my dishes, looking at him in a tired manner and left.

I could hear music from the inside of the shack, the pirate was sitting on the bed. I looked at the screen, there was a man putting a feather into a book, which stashed into a suitcase. I frowned slightly, I had seen that somewhere. I gave him his food and sat on my side of the bed, I began eating the extremely spicy noodles, though I barely had any appetite.

The pirate laughed from time to time, he looked in a very good mood. I just felt numb, I ate everything I could and then began to get up to take the dishes away. However he held my wrist:

“Go later,” he said, he took my dish and tossed it next to his over the crate.

I sat again, taking my socks and trying to get comfortable; I barely paid attention to the film. I saw movement and shapes in the screen and heard the pirate’s laughs and comments as well as the dialogue, but they had no meaning. A ball of lead had fallen into the pit of my stomach and was weighed me down, I was going to sink, first through the mattress, then through the floor and finally into the ground.

It finished, at last; the pirate got up and made a motion with his arm towards the dishes, now I had to take them down. The camp was totally deserted, oddly silent; a cloak of stars covered the dark velvety sky, the balmy nocturnal air touched my skin softly, the fragrant perfumes of the jungle were carried by the breeze.

Silence, I stood on the summit of the hill, the darkness was broken by the lights of the shack and from the two turrets flanking it. I had walked barefooted, as I had grown accustomed to the little pebbles of the ground and now I felt the wet grass between my toes, soft and welcoming.

Soon, the sound of my heartbeat and my breathing vanished, nothing could be heard in that peaceful night. No screams from the cage area, no rowdy shouts from the pirates, no dogs barking in the distance; nothing could disturb it.

I turned my back to all that and entered into the cabin, the pirate had put out the lights and was already lying on bed, half-naked. I slid out of my clothes, allowing each piece of cloth to pool around my feet, the man on the bed looked at me with his head propped against his hand. Finally, I put my tank again and crawled to my side, he caught my foot and performed that short ritual of closing the cuff.

Leaning on my side, I looked through the barred window, trying to see the stars. Heat surrounded me when he caught me around the waist and pulled my body against his, wrapping an arm around me. His breathing turned rhythmic and steady after a pair of minutes; and, beyond us, beyond that dark cabin, silence.


	15. Chapter 15- Ground

**Hello, once again! I wish you a Happy New Year and I hope you're lucky with whatever you do in 2015.**

**So, without further ado, I present you the fifteenth chapter. I must confess that I have been planning this scene for months.**

**I can't help but feel extremely grateful to all of you for reading my story; knowing that people like your ideas is one of the best things that can happen to an amateur writer. To those who are following me, thank you; and also to those who reviewed, especially to Aylia1661 and SmakLia for their comments.**

**I do not own Far Cry nor none of its characters.**

**Another season leaves and the holidays start, and to celebrate the closing of another stage I wanted to close this first part of the story. Don't worry though, I have many more ideas crammed in my head that need to be released. Once more, thank you very much, and if you want to comment anything, feel free!**

**Naiara**

* * *

 

The wooden planks were covered in blood; the pool was nearly inch deep, my knees were sinking into that mass of warm, fresh liquid. The rough ropes that bound my wrists scratched against my skin and splinters were sinking into my flesh wherever the wood touched it. I could hear the mob cheering below, an army of bloodthirsty, red-faced demons; they waggled their tongues and gnashed their fangs at me, growling and bellowing loudly.

They wanted the executioner to finish, to perform his last task. He stalked slowly into view, his movements proud and powerful; I saw his blood-stained black boots at first. He raised my chin with a hand covered in gunpowder and droplets of crimson liquid whicnh-- glistened like minute rubies. The pirate looked at me with his eyes like endless pits that absorbed all the life, a crooked and sadistic grin on his face. His face had reddish smears, which contrasted with the white gleam of his smile.

“Did you imagine when you saw me the first time that we would end up this way, hmmm?” he asked, his voice sounding like raw stone. “A pity your parents couldn’t pay the price so…bye bye, Sofía,” he pressed the cold muzzle of his gun against my forehead; I could feel the hard rim digging against my skull.

BANG

My body spasmed so hard that it hurt. My breath was shallow and fast; still trembling, I clutched the sheets under me and gazed around, looking for the looming figure of the pirate. However, he was just lying next to me, a big arm holding me down. I watched his face under the faint light of dawn; there was no blood on his skin, and if he opened his eyes they would be dark, normal ones. He looked totally relaxed, his mouth slightly open and every muscle distended, his breath was regular and constant. No one who saw that face at that moment would guess the ugly truth about that man.

I shivered, even if I did not have cold at all, being him so near. It had been a rough night, I had fallen asleep when the sky already looked like ink thinned by water, and then that horrible, premonitory nightmare. It would happen like that, he would take me to the platform for everyone to see, with the rest of the people who hadn’t been paid for and he would kill me. I was but a toy that would soon be discarded, and then he would probably find some other girl to entertain himself with. He would forget me as soon as I fell to the ground.

I closed my eyes tight, but I couldn’t prevent a tear from escaping from my eyes. I was going to die, there was no hope. I didn’t even have the solace of a possible afterlife, I didn’t believe in that; and, if something had shown me that island was that there was no God to help us, and if there was, he didn’t care about what happened to his creatures. And what about the other captives? Had they realized that the moment had come, were they foolish enough to think their relatives had been able to pay?

And my parents…fifteen days of worrying about me, without knowing if I was dead or alive. I could imagine them trying to look for solutions, asking for loans and begging the government, the police or someone with power to try and save me. But, of course, they only had to turn a blind eye to their demands and say that “they didn’t negotiate with terrorists,” or some poor excuse of that kind they used so much. They would probably send their condolences in some fancy card with a bunch of flowers to be put over an empty tomb and be done with it. Bitterness and sadness filled me; it was as if I was already mourning my own death.

I felt an urge to sit up to look through the window; I tried to push his arm away, slowly and carefully, praying not to wake him up. Finally, I sat upright, his arm still hanging loosely over my lap. The sky was almost milky white, like a shroud; a few big birds crossed the sky and then disappeared in the distance. The camp was still silent, I was probably the only one awake in that place, though maybe some sentries were up at that time of the day; I didn’t really care. My eyes wandered to the cage zone; nothing stirred, would someone be as sleepless as me, fearing what was to come?

“Fuck, it’s dawning,” groaned a hoarse voice near me, he forced me down with his arm. “Sleep, it’s too early,” he said with a loud yawn. I lay on my side and allowed him to accommodate his arm around me.

“I suppose he wants to spend some more time with his toy,” commented a snide voice inside me. I fell into a troubled slumber, images of loaded guns intruding into my mind.

 

Something icy trickled down the lower part of my back, I shivered and my eyes snapped open. I sat upright so fast that big colourful dots danced in front of my eyes. Still feeling addled, I turned my head and saw him holding a plastic bottle over me, droplets of water still sliding down my skin. He snorted with laughter when he saw my expression and left the water over the crate.

“You had the same face the day I woke you up with a bucket of water,” he sniggered. “Remember?” How would I ever forget it? It was the day he had killed the Japanese man and recorded those damned ransom videos.

“Yes,” I mumbled, I took my hands to my eyes; it was like having a herd of oxen trampling my head. “Fuck,” I grunted.

“You really look like a zombie, honey, with all the dark marks under your eyes and that shit,” he commented. “Rough night or what?” he got up and started getting dressed, I snorted.

 “You can’t imagine how rough,” I muttered, the image of his face stained with blood appeared in my mind once again.

“C’mon, cheer up that face. And refill the bottle after you get breakfast, that water is old as fuck,” he got out of the shanty.

He had to be kidding me, right? How could he have the nerve to tell me to “cheer up that face”? Did he think I had forgotten what he was going to do with those who hadn’t been paid for? Why did he try to behave as if nothing happened, as if it was a normal day in his twisted routine? I got dressed and walked down the slope; the ball of lead that had appeared inside of my stomach felt heavier than ever, and now it was mingled with a permanent sensation of nausea.

The ground was hard under my feet, I looked at the reddish earth below them, pebbles scattered around it. It was littered with refuse from the pirates: rests of food, pieces of paper, empty bottles of beer, hundreds of useless and broken things. I picked up our breakfast, the same thing as always; it was going to be my last meal, something like the one that was given to prisoners in a death row. The pirates ignored me, they had got used to my presence; I supposed they knew that I wouldn’t be there much longer. I trudged up the slope, watching how my feet sunk on the grassy surface, my head bowed low.

The pirate was in his customary place, looking into the camp in a bored way. I gave him his fruit and sat on my side of the step, feeling slightly wary about his nearness, as if he would suddenly whip his gun out and shoot at any moment. I peeled a banana and took a bite, but it felt like chewing a mouthful of sweetened sand; it almost hurt when I swallowed it.

I only ate one piece of fruit, I left the other on the step and began drawing circles with my foot on the dry ground, watching the movements distractedly. I knew the pirate had finished breakfast when the smell of tobacco assaulted my nostrils; a sickening sensation began to invade me. I stood up, my knees were wobbly and I had to grab the threshold not to fall, I came into the shack.

Sitting on bed, I covered my face with my hands, my heart emitted a rhythmic buzz inside me; it was as if it knew that it had but a few more hours to pump blood into my body. I heard a few stomping sounds on the steps, but I ignored him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you now?” snapped a gruff voice from the door. I took my head away from my hands and looked at him. He was leaning with one arm against the threshold, the other against his hip. He glared at me, his dark eyes burning like embers, scorching my skin.

Incredibly, at that moment, I laughed; a hoarse, clipped laugh. The situation couldn’t be more ludicrous. Still with a despaired and lopsided smile on my face, I stared at him shaking with a mixture of rage, fear and hopelessness.

“What could possibly be wrong with me?” I whispered, so low that I barely uttered any sound. “You know it very well. Have you forgotten which day it is? I can count, I’m not as stupid as you think,” I said, I spoke louder this time, my voice shaky and higher than my usual tone.

“Oh, please, enlighten me,” he snorted sarcastically, his eyes trained on mine. I took a long breath to steady myself and stood up, my body was taut and still trembled. My limbs felt heavy, as if some invisible force was pulling downwards, trying to devour me.

“Fourteen days ago, you said that if our relatives didn’t pay the price you told us…you promised you would kill us,” I explained, my body turned towards him.

“Yeah, I did. So what?” he asked gruffly, he frowned slightly.

“What about my parents, did they pay?” finally, I asked it, full with tension and expectation. He closed his eyes for a moment and closed his mouth in a rictus.

“Received money from them this morning, just before I woke you up,” he drawled, then he opened his eyes and fixed them on me again. “90,000 dollars…not enough.”

That moment, the last tiny glimmer of hope that had survived inside me was snuffed out. I felt the blood draining away from my face and I struggled to remain on my feet and not crumple to the floor. My breath trembled, I blinked fast and my fists clenched, nails digging against my palms.

“Then…then you’re going to kill me,” I said in barely more than a whisper. I wasn’t asking, I was stating the obvious, what he had promised that day; his eyebrows creased over his face in a confused gesture.

“Why should I do that?” my blood froze inside my veins. Had I really heard what I had just heard, or had it been my imagination? Was he playing a sick trick on me?

“But you said…What…what will happen to me then?” I asked, totally bemused. I was so shocked by the revelation that I had stopped trembling, though my legs still felt weak.

He laughed, still leaning against the threshold. He closed his eyes and propped his head against the doorframe, as if he found the situation tremendously hilarious. He got away from the entrance and walked towards me.

“Poor, innocent Sofía, frightened all this time thinking that I was going to kill her,” he said, still laughing under his breath.

“If you aren’t going to kill me…what will be of me? Will you…will you let me go?” I asked incredulously, a faint hope began to flicker inside me again. All of a sudden, he sobered up and his face adopted an irritated expression.

“No,” he stated curtly, it echoed inside my ears for a second. “Nothing changes, you’re staying here,” he said, his voice harsh, he was in front of me looking down into my eyes.

“What do you mean nothing changes? Why do I have to stay here? What about the other hostages?” I blurted out, my voice and my limbs were quaking again.

He clenched his jaw and a shadow appeared in front of his eyes, I gazed at him as if transfixed, fearing his anger. Breathing loudly though his nose, he turned away from me and began to walk around the room, lost for words; he raised his hands to his head and sunk his fingers into his scalp, as if he wished to tear it open to let off all the thoughts inside it.

“YOU SHOULD BE FUCKING GRATEFUL TO ME!” he snarled, whipping around and making a violent movement with his right arm. “IT WAS A FUCKING LIE! DO YOU THINK THE FAMILIES WOULD PAY ANYTHING IF THEY KNEW THEIR LOVED ONES ARE NEVER COMING BACK, HUH? I. FUCKING. LIED!” he hollered.

He strode towards me again, swaying his arms. I recoiled away from him; his jaw was set and his face was contorted into an expression of sheer wrath.

“IT DOESN’T MATTER IF THEIR FAMILIES PAY OR NOT! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I DO WITH YOU, YOU FUCKING PIECES OF SHIT?? I SELL YOU FOR A GOOD PRICE, THAT’S IT!!” he roared, he looked madder than ever; I bit my lower lip, the shivering sensation in my body increased, fear and rage fighting, coupled with a sensation of betrayal.

“DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUNG, PRETTY WOMEN LIKE YOU, HUH? I SELL YOU TO SOME FUCKING PERVERTED OLD GEEZER WHO WOULD KEEP YOU IN A STINKY ROOM FOREVER!” he stopped to take a long breath, his chest swelling visibly. “OR TO SOME OWNER OF A BROTHEL THAT WOULD LET ANY STUPID JERK FUCK YOU AS LONG AS HE COULD PAY THE PRICE! I BET YOU WOULD LOVE IT.”

I was positively trembling with rage, my teeth were nearly chattering. He had made me believe that I would die if my parents didn’t pay, and now it turned out that he would have sold me anyway. He was breathing loudly, shaking nearly as much as myself.

“Oh, thanks then. BECAUSE THAT’S MUCH WORSE THAN BEING STUCK HERE WITH A PSYCHOPATHIC MURDER…” I yelled, totally out of control, but I was cut short when he delivered a hard slap with the back of his hand against my cheek, his hard knuckles smashing against my cheekbone.

So strong was the blow that he sent me reeling against the wardrobe, my back crashed loudly against the wooden planks. He pounced over me and grabbed my neck, pushing me against the double doors. We scuffled in near silence for a few seconds, I twisted and squirmed in his grasp while he tightened his hold around my neck. The supply of air inside my body disappeared, my mouth opened trying in vain to regain that inexistent oxygen. It hurt, I was beginning to feel dizzy and my vision was blurred, the outline of the monster in front of me was becoming fuzzy. He was going to kill me, I had gone too far, and he had had enough of me. I scrabbled against the doors, trying to free myself.

I should not have said that, but I had exploded. So many days biting my tongue to refrain myself from speaking had taken their toll. Now it would be the end of me, a petty end for a petty girl.

His grip lessened slightly, enough to let me take some air; I filled my lungs as much as I could, my vision cleared and the dizziness began to vanish. Now I saw him clearly again, his teeth were bared and was breathing loudly through his mouth, his usually dark brown eyes so full of blazing anger that they had turned nearly black.

“Now, listen to me. I’ve already made a decision and I’m not changing my mind,” he paused for breath, his tone was still harsh and his voice loud. “It’s been settled, I’m going to buy you, I only have to go to deliver the money, and you’re not going anywhere,” he said in calmer way, but the wrath was still boiling inside him.

The full import of his words reached me, I felt about to faint; the pressure of his fingers decreased until he was just holding me firmly against the wardrobe. I was on the verge of crying, but the tears wouldn’t flow out. It was better that way, I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me crying. He raised his other hand and stroked the place where he had hit me, I tried not to wince in pain and fear. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to get his temper under control, his hand rested over my face for a pair of seconds and then he walked away, until he was out of the shack.

Gasping for breath, I slid to the ground. I slumped against the wood planks and lingered there, my head hanging to the side. I would never see my family again, I would never be free again, I would never leave that island, that miserable place. This time, the tears flowed down, abundant and salty, stinging the sore side of my face. I could still feel the pressure of his hand around my neck, almost as if it was still there. I wasn’t going to die, and I wouldn’t be sold to some stranger to do as he pleased. But I would have to be with him, with that insane, deranged man; the situation was not better, not at all.

I would have to live with him as his fucktoy, his entertainment, fearing that he would get tired and then decided to get rid of me. A silent sob escaped my lips, and the torrent of emotions engulfed me. Another louder, choked sob; that was it, my life as I had known it had ended for good. My family, my friends, my studies; they would be nothing but a far memory. I was doomed to stay there, with those horrible men and miserable people, and with that monster.

I raked my scalp with my nails, digging them into my skin; my teeth were bared, I closed my eyes and tried to control the sobs that wracked my chest, they were trying to flee from it. A long and low wail came from my lips, as if I was keening for someone. And yes, I was mourning a loss; this meant losing my freedom and my life as I had known it. Why me? Why did it have to be me? Why did I have to be on that plane? However, all those questions were as ineffable as asking why we existed; I would never know the answer, and it would be useless.

I had forgotten the constant pain on my neck and my sore cheek, the pain I felt inside was too strong to pay attention to anything else. I bit my lips, trying to stifle my low wail; but it was like trying to contain an ocean with a sheet of paper. All the fear I had felt those days, all the stress and the worries were flooding everything; I could repress them no more. I longed for my home, for my parents, and now I would never see them again.

I was as good as dead to them already. They had sent 90,000 dollars, probably everything they could, in the hope that my captors would consider it enough and would somehow set me free. Nevertheless, now, they would be hoping against hope that I would show some signs of  life. They would expect me to call to the telephone and tell them that I was alright but frightened, and then we would prepare to be reunited in some airport. But now, now that would never happen; they would assume I was dead, mourn me for a while and continue with their lives. They would never know I was trapped in that island because some lunatic had decided he wanted a personal slave.

It wasn’t very comforting knowing that I wouldn’t have seen them again anyway. However, there was some meagre consolation: they still had my brother and my sister, they had each other for support; they would continue their lives without their eldest daughter, but they would live. I, on the other hand, was alone; they would take the other captives to be sold, and those who didn’t find a buyer would surely be killed, like those five men.

The bed was there, cold and bare. I dragged myself to it and plummeted against its cold, unwelcoming surface. Tears began to soak the worn-out fabric of the mattress, I buried my face into the pillow and only emerged from it when I ran out of oxygen. My hand had moved to the crack on the wall, something metallic and cold brushed against my middle finger. Bemusedly, I rummaged into the crack and produced a pair of tiny scissors; I stared at them for a few seconds.

It would be so easy.

Two long cuts on the inside of both forearms would be enough. I could even save myself some agony by stepping under the shower and letting the water accelerate the process. The only possible release from the future that awaited for me next to that creature was in my hands. A twisted travesty of a smile appeared on the corners of my lips, and he would be extremely angry for losing his prize, but he wouldn’t be able to do anything. Ceasing to exist…

“What the hell am I doing?” I wondered aloud to myself. I did not want to die, I always fought to survive. Killing myself would be more than cowardly; nothing could be worse than death. After all, I had survived those days, why not the rest? I threw the scissors to the other side of the room, as if they were something poisonous and dangerous.

Feeling extremely shocked and mortified by what I had been thinking before I came back to my senses, I got up from the bed and picked up the scissors; they were nothing but that, scissors. I felt so appalled that I had stopped sobbing and wailing; I sat on the bed again and tucked away the tool inside the crack, I didn’t know why.

I was aware that, by rejecting suicide as an option, I was choosing the hard way. Years of being at his mercy lay ahead, until one of us died; they would probably be similar to the days I had already spent there. It wouldn’t be easy, not at all. However, I appreciated my life too much to waste it that way; and they say hope is the last thing to be lost. Maybe my situation would improve somehow, someday.

Raising my head again, I stared into the eyes of the woman in the photograph, her haughty expression and prideful eyes. I realized she looked a bit like Vaas; the high forehead and straight nose, and the shape of the head accentuated by the shaved sides, maybe even the shape of the eyes, though not the colour. Who was she?

I grabbed my head between my arms, so much thinking and crying had wearied me down and my head pounded, as if I had one of those enormous taiko drums from Japan inside. I frowned and rubbed my face; my face and my neck hurt too, and the night had been an almost sleepless one.

The pirate had left, and it didn’t seem that he would be back in a while; I knew I would have to face him eventually, but that could be delayed for a while. He had said he had to pay for me, he hadn’t said to whom and where, though.

I walked to the desk and picked up the bottle of pills, there were still quite a few. It would help me sleep and forget for a while, and to get rid of the dull pain in my limbs and head. I picked one and prepared to put it in my mouth, but I had no water, and I also felt rather thirsty. He had told me to fill it anyway; I picked up the empty bottle and went to the shower to refill it. I took a long swig when it was full to the brim and then I swallowed the pill.

It wouldn’t be long until it made effect; I lay on bed, curled into a ball and with my back facing the window. So many mixed emotions in one morning had drained me completely, and I needed some time. I remembered everything that had happened and a single tear slid down my face. I would never cry in front of him, I would fight and try to survive, somehow. I always did.

 

Night had fallen when I woke up, the shack was dark and empty except for me. He hadn’t come yet, I sat up and looked around; the room looked the same as always; it had turned into a familiar sight, it was a lot more welcoming than one of those cages. The headache had disappeared totally, I still felt a bit tired, but I owed it to the fact that I had only eaten a banana and drunk a few gulps of water. I stood up and shuffled my feet to the door, it was still open; the stars were beginning to glow up in the skies. Voices and nightly sounds could be heard from the top of the hill, the pirates had probably had dinner and were preparing to watch TV, play cards, get drunk or whatever they did during their free time.

I felt a bit hungry, but the canteen should be closed by that time, and I don’t think I would have wanted to go down anyway; I wouldn’t be able to stand the stares and the taunts from those men. I would have to wait until the morning; I walked back to the fridge and took a long swig of water, it would calm my queasy stomach.

I sat back on the bed, my shoulders slumped and elbows leaning against my knees, I pushed a few strands of hair out of my face and stared at the ground for a few seconds. Was he paying for me, then? What would happen if whoever he was buying from decided to refuse?

“He will kill you or sell you to some dirty pervert, you heard him,” sneered the voice inside me. Besides, why did he have to buy me from anyone? Wasn’t he the boss of the pirates to take whatever he wanted without having to give an explanation to anyone?

I sighed, tired and resigned; my feet kicked out my trainers and I began to take my clothes off, preparing for the night once again. I stood wearing only my panties and the tank and looked through the window again, the bars had never looked so thick. Finally, I curled on my usual side.

Just as I was sinking into a light slumber, I heard some crunching noises on the ground out of the shack and a dark figure went through the door. I raised my head slightly and recognized him; he walked to the desk to leave his things while I gazed at his broad back, a dull thud sounding against the floor whenever his feet contacted with it. When he finished, he sat heavily on the mattress and sighed loudly, his back to me. In the semidarkness of that place, the only thing I could see was his silhouette.

“It is done, I paid for you this afternoon,” he announced, I felt no surprise at all, if only some resignation. “It was a fuckload of money, just so you know it,” he paused another moment, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I know this must be hard for you, but I’m gonna be very clear now. You’re never going to see your family again, or your friends…Right now, the best thing you could do is forgetting all that, and adapting to your new life, here, with me,” his voice was low and oddly gentle, he stopped to take a breath and turned towards me, he leaned on one of his arms so our faces would be almost at the same level.

I fought to blink back tears of rage and sadness, I had sworn to myself that I would not let him see me that way; I felt glad he couldn’t see my face, though now I could see his more clearly.

His face looked carved in stone, his dark eyes hidden in the darkness, sunken into his dark sockets. His mouth, which would have usually curled into a sneer, a gleeful laugh or a grimace of anger, was a thin and limp line.

“It will be easier if you let the old Sofía, the girl with her family and all that shit, die and let another one be reborn; a clean start. Believe me, it won’t hurt so much that way,” his voice was strangely hollow, Did I perceive…bitterness, maybe?

He raised a hand and put it over my head, petting my hair softly, he let it descend towards my neck. It felt heavy and hard, I just stared wordlessly into his sombre face. There was nothing else to say, both of us knew it; he had the upper hand, he had always had it, but now that would never change. I wondered what was going through his head in that moment, that merciless and selfish man; I knew he didn’t feel sorry for me, he only cared for himself.

He got up again and started throwing his clothes to the ground, I turned my back on him to hide two glistening tears that had escaped my eyes. I heard fabric rustling against his skin and the loud thunk of metal when his braces and belt fell to the ground. He sat again and reached out to put the metal circlet around me; I supposed that that day he thought there was real reason to do it, as I was more liable to escape or try to do something stupid like attempting to kill him. And that hated, cold ring closed around my ankle with an ominous click.


	16. Chapter 16- Dog

**Hello! How do you do? Hope you had fun during the holidays, sorry for not posting as much as these few last months, but I haven't had as many opportunities to connect. Don't worry, I'll try to update sooner, thanks a lot for being soooo patient :)**

**Sixteenth chapter already, the longest I have written so far. I hope you like it, as you can imagine, it is the beginning of a new stage, both for Sofía and for Vaas.**

**Thanks a lot to those who are reading this fic, it feels really good when I see that people keep reading it; and thanks to MissMarionette, Aitana, Aylia1661, Eliza and Random for their comments, they're much appreciated!**

**This chapter contains some descriptions of violence as well as indirect references to it.**

**I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.**

**So, once more, thanks for reading and I sincerely hope you will like how this story will develop in the future. If you have any complaint, comment or want to point out something, don't hesitate to post a review :)**

 

My eyes opened slowly, a faint reddish glow was creeping through the window, outlining every shape in the room under a crimson hue. I didn’t have to look down to know that there was an arm surrounding my abdomen, I knew it was there. Feeling him so close was less and less awkward as time passed, especially when he was fast asleep. Then he was just a man, he couldn’t hurt me; he probably just reached out for the comfort and warmth that comes from touching another human being. However, when he was wide awake…things were very different. Now that I knew I would have to stay forever, I would have to get used to that, learn to stand it.

Would I have to follow that same routine forever and ever? Waking up next to him, getting food, trying to entertain myself while he was away, doing petty tasks for him like running errands and, finally, allowing him to fuck me? Forever? The same wearying, monotonous day year after year, repeating itself? The ball of lead was heavy inside my entrails; I was as trapped as in some creep’s basement.

His chest moved regularly with each breath, nothing could disturb his sleep. Why shouldn’t it be that way? He had what he wanted, he had all the reason in the world to sleep fitfully.

 

Something pulled hard from my ankle, I gasped in surprise and grabbed one of the bars from the headboard instinctively; I heard a loud laugh next to me. I sat upright and rubbed my eyes, then looked at the pirate, who was sitting on the edge of the mattress with an ample smile.

“You’re so easily frightened,” he commented, still smiling. “Come on, honey, move your ass and fetch breakfast,” he slapped my thigh and walked to the desk, he was only wearing his trousers.

I got up, he had apparently opened the cuff before pulling from me; I crouched and took the red shirt from under the bed. It stank of rain and sweat, I hadn’t worn it since the day we had had sex. My nose wrinkled in disgust after smelling the one I was wearing; perfect, now both of them were stinky and dirty. I was going to put my bra on when the pirate came from behind and pinched my left nipple, I flinched and stifled a swearword.

“Don’t be such a pussy, can’t hurt that much,” he chided, clicking his tongue.

“It DOES hurt, especially when you pinch it hard,” I grumbled, I continued putting my bra on.

“You seemed to like it the other days when I did it,” he taunted, I just snorted, feeling heat on my face. How did he always manage to make me blush? I put the tank on again, grunting when I perceived the unpleasant smell.

“Why all the grunting and the snorting, huh?” he asked, he had walked to the threshold and was looking towards the camp.

“I have to wash my clothes, they stink,” I answered.

“Pssst, you white girls are all the same, always complaining about things not being clean and shit,” he sneered, he left for the back of the shanty.

I flipped him off when he was out and couldn’t see me, he was a real nuisance when he was in a good mood. I finished putting my clothes into place and started off towards the canteen; some pirates were sitting on a tattered couch covered in graffiti. One of them nudged his companion in the ribs and pointed at me with his chin; the other growled something in a quite disgruntled way, rummaged into one of his pockets and produced a few crumpled banknotes, the other took them.

There was another large bunch of men sitting around a table, they were already carrying their weapons and didn’t look in a very good mood.

“Duh, man. We have to escort those fuckers to the compound, and this time they are lot, we’ll have to be very careful none of them tries to piss off Hoyt or Vaas,” said a scrawny Asian man with an ugly burn on his face.

“I just hope none of them bitches try to resist or start crying when they see who’s gonna take ‘em, not in the mood for that,” commented a big man with a large RPG leaning against his leg.

A sinking feeling invaded me; I deduced that they were talking about the captives that were going to be sold. I chose two mangoes and got back to the shanty, the pirate was there again, twisting one of the bracelets around his wrists. I sat next to him in silence and we began having breakfast, both deep in thought. The pirate stood up suddenly and made a motion so I would do the same.

“Chica, come with me,” I felt suspicion beginning to itch. For what? Of course, I would not ask him. I stood up without taking my eyes away from him; every time he had wanted me to come with him it hadn’t been for anything good, the last time he had made me kill innocent people, I closed my fists when I remembered.

I followed him, my eyes fixed on his broad-shouldered back, prancing between the huts like a lion which knew a territory belonged to his pride. The camp was bustling with busy pirates, they carried around weapons or crates, screamed to each other or acknowledged Vaas whenever they saw him.

We began to climb a slight slope, the pirate walked rather fast and with long strides. We were in the outskirts of the camp, there was a wall in front of us, just behind a clumsily-built well and a pair of hencoops, to the side stood a familiar warehouse. He unlocked the rusty door and began to trespass the threshold, his head turned to look at me.

“Are you coming or not?” he turned on the neon lights of the ceiling; I followed him and remembered how he had taken just around eleven days ago to pick my things to take a bath. He pointed to the place where my suitcase was, they had put it again on top of one of the piles.

“Get whatever clothes you need; but don’t get too many, I don’t want my place full of trash,” he sat on the ground and lit a cigarette.

“Really?” I asked, still feeling slightly suspicious; why would he be so nice? He rolled his eyes and sighed loudly.

“You said your clothes were smelly, didn’t you? So get a fucking move and pick a bag or whatever you need. Whatever you don’t pick will be sold anyway,” he looked at me in a slightly irritated way. I decided to get on with it and reached for the suitcase, careful not to let it fall, then I opened it.

It was disordered from the day he had taken me with him and some of my clothes had specks of mud. I took out my only pair of high heels out of a plastic bag and decided to use it to carry all my things. I wondered who would buy all my clothes, they were neither too fashionable nor too expensive, just the normal kind of clothes a girl around my age without a lot of money should wear. Of course, the heels and that kind of things I would wear to some party or whatever were immediately discarded, there was no way I would use them there. I put two other shorts into the bag, I supposed the weather would be warm all year long in that island; my stomach sank again when I remembered that I would have to stay there indefinitely. I crammed more tank tops and t-shirts into the bag, choosing the most comfortable and plain; I also took my flip-flops, some socks and a lot of underwear. I heard movement behind me and the pirate sat by my side, rummaging unashamedly through my belongings, he chuckled when he saw my summer pyjamas (short, with spaghetti straps and purple with pinks stripes) but then he fished out something else.

Still feeling outraged at his impertinence, I felt my face burning when he raised the next pair of garments. A skimpy, lacy black panty with a skimpy, lacy black bra to match; they were a gift from my sister for my birthday.

“Didn’t think you were one for wearing this kind of thing,” he said with a low chuckle. I snatched them from his hands hastily; he just guffawed heartily, my face must have been turning the colour of his tank top. I tried to put them back into the suitcase.

“Take them with you, sweetheart. We could give them some good use…” his hand slid to my thigh and the tips of his fingers crept under the hem of my shorts, he bit his lower lip and studied my body intently, as if imagining what he was going to do. I drew air into my lungs, feeling even more heated, the strings of my muscles tensing themselves. Suddenly, his lewd smile slid from his face.

“Shit!” he growled, he got up away from me. “Finish with that, we’ve got to see the doc,” he ordered moodily and went outside, slamming the door.

“What the hell?” I thought; I kept cramming things into the bag, including the sexy underwear; he would get angry if I didn’t. I closed the suitcase, checking that I had everything I needed and left the building. He locked it again and began to march through what I presumed was the shortest way to the doctor’s.

He practically stormed among the shanties, I had to trot behind him to prevent getting lost in that unknown part of the camp. We reached the zone in a pair of minutes, the pirate entered as if it was his own home; the doctor looked surprised when he saw him, but even more so when he realized I was there too.

“Doc, I need something that won’t knock the girl up when we fuck,” he declared, I pursed my lips at him being so open about MY sexual life; even if it was with a doctor, that kind of thing was for me to say, not him. The doctor stared at me for a few seconds, and then looked at his boss.

“You mean you want contraception?” he asked, looking politely puzzled.

“Yeah, whatever. She’s staying here with me and I don’t want to use a rubber every time I bang her, I want something permanent like the pill or whatever, not the shit she took the other day, fucking waste of money,” said the pirate, waving his hand as if dismissing that possibility.

“I understand, I think I should talk about this with her, I will need to ask her some questions,” stated the older man warily.

“Yeah, I’d rather save myself the details as long as it fucking works. You talk to him, hermana,” he pointed to me and to the doctor alternatively and left with his characteristic long strides.

 “Sit, please,” he pointed with his hand to the chair that was in front of his desk, I did as I was told, my hands resting over my lap. The man studied me with those greyish eyes, as if he didn’t know where to start.

“I’m so sorry about this, he hit you yesterday, didn’t he?’” he said in a low voice, his face dead serious; I could see empathy in his eyes.

“I thought I was going to die, so I suppose it could be worse. How did you know he hit me?” my voice was low too, as if we were afraid he would listen.

“You have a small bruise on your right cheekbone, and there are some marks on your neck,” I took my hand to my neck in an almost unconscious gesture.

“Yes, yesterday, when he told me that he planned to buy me, I ended up calling him a psychopathic murderer, it wasn’t an intelligent thing to do,” I muttered, remembering the argument, him raving away and holding me by the neck.

“No, that was something really stupid to do, indeed. You should be really careful from now on, he has killed people for a lot less, I have seen him shooting someone because they looked at him in a way he didn’t like,” the older man’s voice turned sterner, sporting a pronounced frown of worry.

“I know, but…when he told me that I couldn’t go back, that I had to stay…I lost control, it won’t happen again, I know what is at stake,” I replied, looking into his eyes.

“I’m not blaming you, I understand your reaction, but you have to control yourself, you have already seen him, there’s a reason why his men respect him so much,” we remained in silence for a few moments.

“I heard yesterday that he was going to buy you, but I didn’t think it would be true. This kind of behaviour is most unusual in him,” I couldn’t help but laugh hollowly, it was impossible to predict what that madman would do.

“That doesn’t matter now, I can’t do anything, can I?” I wondered, part of me wishing he would tell me that something could be done, but that answer never came.

“I’m afraid not; if he has bought you, in this world he’s your owner. No one would ever dare to step in,” the word “owner” felt like a stab in the stomach.

“What is going to happen with the rest, are they going to be sold?” I asked, my voice even lower and muted.

“Yes, they will take them this afternoon to an auction on the Southern Island. I suppose we should start discussing about the contraception, or he will get impatient,” he looked sideways.

We remained in silence for a few seconds, tension was tangible in the air.

“Of course, resources are scarce here, if we were somewhere else I could offer you different choices. We will ignore barrier methods like condoms for an obvious reason and diaphragms because they are hard to come by in this zone. Also, an IUD presents the same problem, and would involve some minor surgery. I think we should talk about hormonal methods better,” I nodded, listening intently.

“You mean the pill and the patches, don’t you?” I asked, I had never given too much thought to hormonal methods, I had normally used condoms.

“Among others, the patches and the vaginal ring are hard to find too. I think the pills and the implantable rod would be the most suitable choice. However, even if I can easily provide you with pills, sometimes I can’t find certain kinds of medicaments, because I must acquire them through…not extremely legal methods. The implantable rod, I think I know where I could find it easily, though,” he stopped for a few seconds.

“What is the implantable rod?” I asked.

“It is usually a 3 centimetre rod that releases hormones into the system. It is put by a professional inside the arm, just below the skin. They are injected with a special syringe or by doing a small incision with a scalpel, it’s practically painless,” he added, I frowned slightly, deep in thought.

“For how long does it work? It would be good if I could save myself the trouble of having to take a pill day after day, and if the source was to fail it would be a problem.”

“Between 3 and 5 years, after that it must be removed or substituted,” that was a long time. Thinking in such a long term felt extremely odd and discouraging, it was as if my life was being definitively settled.

“Is it effective? I know the pill has some margin for failure, and I would rather choose the safest method before the most convenient one. Believe me, he’s not the only one not to want a baby, it’s probably the least thing I need right now,” cold rage filled my insides, thinking about how that madman could shape my life.

“ 99% of success, just as much as a regular condom. I think it is very appropriate given your…situation. I know for a fact that the people who buys the captives sometimes ask for this kind of contraception just after they buy them, to save trouble apparently,” he looked even more serious and his face hardened, as if he found the situation unacceptable, which it was. “They have implantable rods too, and if it is the option that convinces you the most, I could always ask Vaas to find some.”

“If you say it’s so effective…I think I will choose that one, the safest the better,” I concluded, I shifted on the seat.

“Well, tell Vaas to come inside. I will tell him that you’re going to choose that one and hope that he agrees,” I got up, lips pursed; now I had to depend on some psycho giving me permission to do things that only concerned me, but I would rather prevent any pregnancy. I opened the door and stuck my head out, the pirate was leaning against the wall, playing with his switchblade.

“Vaas, the doctor wants to talk to you,” I said, he raised his head in surprise and entered after me. He put his hand on my lower back for a second, I just walked forward to avoid being so near.

“So, what is she going to do, doc?” asked the pirate, slumping on the chair on which I had been sitting.

“She has decided on the implantable rod, it’s very effective and would only require a minimal and brief intervention, and she would have protection for 3 years at the very least,” the pirate listened.

“Alright, what are you waiting for? Put it into her or whatever you have to do,” he demanded impatiently.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any at the moment. Hoyt has, though, you know there are some customers who ask him to do it before taking the women away,” the pirate nodded curtly, urging him to continue with a movement of his hand.

“I heard you’re going to the Compound this afternoon, so maybe you could bring one and I would make an arrangement to apply it tomorrow,” the doctor looked at me, I just nodded in agreement.

“So, you put that thing inside her and I don’t have to worry about her whelping a brat,” he pulled at his beard, deep in thought. “Ok, then. I’m going to Southern Island in a pair of hours, so I will get it and tomorrow you do whatever you have to do.”

“No problem about that, I think that’s all,” concluded the doctor, the pirate stood up.

“Let’s go, hermana,” he said, whistling and starting off towards the door, I picked the bag that contained my things and prepared to leave.

“One moment; if you don’t mind, I would like to have a word with her before you leave,” the pirate sighed loudly and looked at us with annoyance written on his face.

“You have a minute,” he replied, and left; the doctor sat in a more relaxed manner and turned towards me, studying my face behind his metallic glasses.

“Concerning the arrangement for tomorrow…if Vaas finds the rod, that is, I would advise you to avoid vaginal intercourse before injecting the rod; it won’t stop a pregnancy that has already begun. You could probably take the day-after fill, but I don’t want to jeopardize the efficacy of the rod, there could be a failure or severe side effects,” he twined his fingers in front of him.

“You mean…that if he tries to make any advances I refuse him? You know how he is, if I do he will probably punish me in some way. After all, that’s why he bought me, isn’t it?” I replied in a rather sour tone.

“Yes, I’m perfectly aware of that. But you’re a clever girl, I’m sure you’ll manage,” he leaned over the desk so we would be nearer. “You try to keep him happy and I’m sure he won’t hurt you,” I just nodded silently and left.

The pirate was still there, he began walking the moment I left the house, he chose the trail from before. On one side of the trail there were several black dogs tearing at a half-rotten chunk of meat, making growling noises at each other. One of them raised its head and began to bark and snarl at me; I was frozen when it began to run towards me. However, Vaas gave him a well-aimed kick on the snout with one of his heavy leather boots, almost sending him into the air. The mutt ran away whining in pain, Vaas growled something under his breath.

“Manuel!! Come out here NOW!” A grumpy-faced old man came out of one of the shacks, grumbling to himself. However, his face changed into an oily smile when he saw who it was. He walked toward us, wringing his hands nervously. His face was gaunt and his greying hair was matted and dirty; he grinned unctuously, showing rotten teeth.

“Boss, what can I do f’you?” he wheezed.

“One of your fucking mongrels almost attacked the girl, I told you to take them somewhere else!!” he growled.

“Sorry boss, they dunno her and probably thought she was an enemy, not used to captives outta them cages,” he said, fear plain in his eyes.

“If they get near her or me I’ll throw you to them, see what they do to their master,” retorted the warlord, he made a gesture towards me and we left, the old man threw a venomous glance towards me, as if I was to be blamed.

We arrived at the top of the hill and entered into the shanty, the pirate lay on bed, sighing in relaxation. I looked at the bursting bag I was holding, I should put these where they would be easy to pick.

“Errrr…Vaas? Is it ok if I put my things in the wardrobe?” I asked, turning towards him.

“Ok, but don’t occupy everything,” I took the bag that contained my shampoos and everything and sat on the floor to put everything on the lower shelf, it was empty except for some boxers. I folded my clothes as carefully and orderly as possible to find them with ease, it contrasted with his disorder. When I finished I took the contents from the bag and put them next to my things. Finally, I changed into my flip-flops so as not to have to put my trainers on and off.

I wished I had taken some books or other entertainment in my suitcase, but my laptop, mobile phone and headphones were in a separate bag, and I wouldn’t have been allowed to pick them. Just for the sake of moving around, I went to the back of the shack and relieved myself, then studied myself on the mirror.

There was a bruise on my cheekbone, just as the doctor had said, they were nothing but a pair of faint purplish marks on my skin, caused by his knuckles. There were also some reddish lines around my neck, I touched them, they smarted a bit still. “That beast,” I thought sourly; the doctor was right, I would have to be more careful than ever. He had probably been “nice” those days only because he had to keep me fairly undamaged in order to sell me; but now…he had bought me, he thought I “belonged” to him. I gave a hard kick to the wall, the mirror swayed, blurring my reflection.

I got back to the sack and decided to take a shower, now I had clothes to feel totally clean, at last. I chose a set of new clothes to wear, picking a pair of dark jean shorts and an orange tank with a palm tree print as well as a grey bra with black panties. The pirate looked half-asleep on the bed, one of his arms hanging from the edge of the bed.

“Perfect, less trouble for me,” I thought. I put the clothes over the door and opened the hose, it felt cold, but it was a shower after all. I rubbed both my hair and body, sighing, I massaged my scalp and muscles, trying to make myself relax. When I finished, I closed the faucet and rested my head against the soaked planks of the booth, feeling the last droplets of water sliding down my back, making me shiver.

I got dressed with clothes that still smelt like home, tears blurred my vision when I remembered when we had said goodbye to each other before I boarded the plane. They had been sad that I was leaving for a whole year, but at the same time they were as excited as me at my new adventure. They joked about me finding a great job, meeting some nice surfer Aussie guy and wanting to stay forever and things like that…If they knew…I had ended as the personal slave of some insane Hispanic warlord and I would have to stay on that island forever. Tears slid down my face while on my mouth appeared a crooked smile.

The pirate still lay on bed, I crawled to my side with the book. I had but a few pages left, I would have to find another way of having fun. My hair felt nicely damp against my head and my whole body was clean, covered by fresh clothes, a soft breeze came through the window.

After a while, I felt a soft stroke on the side of my neck, rising to meet the still sore marks on it. I looked at him from the corner of my eye; his eyes were still half-closed, relaxed still from his slumber. He trailed over the reddish lines and then his thumb rose to my lips, he rubbed them lightly, I could feel my pulse throbbing on my neck, my skin was sensitive where the marks were and even more so after the shower. I closed my eyes and breathed out against his finger, he chuckled and then let his arm fall.

He stood up and stretched himself lustily, the muscles of his back rippling visibly under his skin. Then he walked to the fridge and drank some water, he took a mobile phone out of his pocket and began taking all his weapons.

“Gotta leave, I think I’ll be back by night, don’t try anything stupid while I’m away, ok? Ta-ta, guapa,” he strode out of the shack.

Of course, he had to sell the rest of the people; the thorn on my side twisted itself into my flesh painfully. I could imagine those teenagers that had recorded the ransom video bursting into tears when they met the dirty, old and ugly man who would probably buy them to be locked up; closed with a chain around their neck in some dingy room full of hard-core BDSM devices forever.

Or the young men around my age, who would probably be sold to another depraved customer with a taste for tender flesh. What about those who wouldn’t be fit to be sold? What about that poor old man with whom I had shared a cage? And Sarah and her baby?

I slumped on bed, I wished I could forget all that people; maybe it would be better if I got up the next day without knowing who they were, having no memories about my parents or who I was. I forced myself to read again, until everything was meaningless inside those pages.

Hunger made me realize that I was still there, I dragged my feet to the canteen and waited at the end of a rather short queue, there were a lot less pirates than usual. The pirate took my dish incredibly fast and gave it to me with a meagre amount of soup in it.

“Is it true then? Are you such a good fuck that the boss decided to buy you?” asked the cooker with an enormous leer on his wide mouth.

“Probably, I suppose you’re sorry because you couldn’t have a go, aren’t you?” I replied disdainfully, unable to refrain myself, his smile grew even more.

“Vaas won’t always be there to bark at anyone who gets near you, bitch. I wouldn’t wander around the camp alone at night if I were you,” I scoffed slightly at such an uncouth threat, but I thought that I should take that monster into account, too.

“Maybe Vaas won’t be there, but there’s a fucking high chance that I’ll be nearby,” replied a loud voice from behind us; the smile vanished from the cooker’s face. I turned, Carlos was there, his eyes hidden behind his usual sunglasses, but there was a stern grimace on his face. He walked to us, he was considerably taller than me, probably a bit taller than Vaas.

“You should tell the boss to teach some manners to his whore, she’ll get her pretty face beaten if she isn’t careful,” replied that bulwark of a man. Carlos grasped my arm firmly and dragged me away from there until we were under the sun.

“Vaas must really like you if he hasn’t killed you yet with that big mouth of yours,” he turned me to him so I would be looking at him.

“Vaas, Vaas, Vaas; I can manage perfectly! I don’t need him to be around, I can take care of myself alone,” I replied firmly. I was really tired of hearing that I had to be careful around Vaas, of those pirates taunting me in the distance only because they feared their boss too much.

“You should consider yourself lucky that he’s on your side; most of the men won’t touch you because they know what he can do, but some will pick whatever opportunity they have to hurt you.  It isn’t good for you to find enemies, especially people like the cooker,” he stood in front of me, looking at me behind his darkened lenses.

“I’m tired of him mocking me and making stupid comments; I have tried to control my temper, but I’m more than fed up,” I retorted.

“Yeah, he can be a real pain in the ass if you get him on his wrong side. Ignore him,” I was done with ignoring. I was done with Vaas, with those pirates, and with that island.

“And why do you care, anyway?” I asked, my anger was finally ebbing away.

“Vaas told me to keep an eye on you in case you tried to escape or something like that. For your own sake, and for the sake of my own head, I’ll tell him if you have some problem with one of his men; he’ll know how to punish you, get it?” I bit my lower lip and left him, rage boiling again inside me.

I climbed to the hill and sat on the ground to tuck into my food; I knew it was wrong to make enemies of those men. However, I was finding it difficult those days to restrain myself from saying what I thought; trouble would come out of it, if not from Vaas, from the others.

I took the dishes down and spent the rest of the afternoon ending the book. When I finished I washed my dirty clothes and left them to dry over a branch, I had nothing better to do. Shadows flooded the silent and cold room while I rifled through the pages, my mind blank and empty.

 

A few knocks on the door took me out of my revelry, it was Carlos again. Was he there for another lecture? I looked at him quizzically from the bed.

“The boss is back, he told me to look for you,” feeling puzzled, I got up and put the flip-flops on, then followed him out of the shack. Had he told him what I had done and had decided to punish me? I shivered inwardly, I knew I shouldn’t have said what I said; I knew what could happen to me, now I would pay for being so stubborn.

We walked towards the main zone, it was illuminated by a few reddish bulbs hanging from the nearby buildings and from a beam over the platform. The pirate was there as well as three kneeling figures with their heads covered by a burlap sack, bile rose from my stomach when I began to climb the steps. The pirate walked towards me, his expression unfathomable; I noticed I was trembling slightly. “Get a fucking grip on yourself,” growled a voice inside me.

“Carlos told me what happened this morning with that fucker. He’s right, you know? I won’t always be near to stop you from getting in trouble, and I can’t allow you to go around insulting my men. I don’t care if they provoke you or whatever, I won’t let them disrespect me or think I’m a pussy because I can’t control my bitch,” that last word burnt in my ears.

“Never heard that of “la letra con sangre entra?[1] Right? You do what I tell you now and that’ll be water under the bridge, alright?” I nodded in silence, knowing that one word from me would probably be the last straw on the camel’s back. It was rather strange seeing him so serious and calm; he wasn’t pleased, that was for sure, but he was making sure only me and him could hear his voice.

He walked further into the platform; two corpses were already lying there with their faces against the ground, a pool of blood surrounding their heads. One was a woman with a tattered blouse and skirt, and the other a forty year old man wearing a dirty suit; they were people from my plane. I could feel my heart beating against my chest, the three kneeling figures remained silent on the ground, it was crystal clear what he wanted to do to compensate for my stupidity.

He pushed me towards them and took that horrible chunk of metal from his holster, then pushed it into my hands. I gripped that cold and heavy object, looking at the covered figures silently. Gulping, I raised arm and prepared myself to shoot, however he forced me to lower it and walked to the victims.

“No, no, no, chica. I want you to look them into their eyes, let them know who killed them,” he gripped the sack and lifted it slowly from the nearest man’s head. A thin face looked at me from under it, his tanned skin had turned sallow from illness and his eyes were glassy, I could see the missing teeth and the broken nose. It was Keller.

I recoiled slightly when I saw him, he looked just as surprised as me; his bluish eyes shone with recognition for a moment. He coughed loudly, two pirates nearby laughed, commenting how pathetic he was.

“You…” he muttered, his eyes glazed by fever, he was practically delirious. His body almost tumbled forward, but Vaas grabbed his matted hair roughly.

“Shut the fuck up! Fucking cocksucker,” snarled Vaas, he released him fast and walked to my side. “I’d have got a good price for your pretty boy face if you hadn’t looked like a carcass during the auction!” he growled.

He grabbed my arm and forced me to raise it until the cannon aimed at Keller’s head. I looked in terror at the pitiful figure kneeling in front of me, it was as if he barely understood what was going to happen to him.

“Come on, chica, put him out of his misery. He’ll die anyway, he’s too ill to survive, he’s just a weakling,” whispered the demon that still held my arm.

I knew the man whose life was in my hands; even if it had been for barely two days, I had helped him with his bleeding nose, he had looked worried when those pirates had almost raped me. I couldn’t do it, but if I didn’t he would be sure to make me pay for it.

“Do it!” he commanded curtly behind me.

I pulled the trigger and the explosion reverberated through the jungle, ricocheting against the steep walls of the nearby mountains, muting every other sound. The smell of gunpowder invaded my lungs and Keller fell with a dull thud, his face against the ground.

My body was paralyzed, as if every cell in my body had died the moment I fired the gun. I could feel a tear of cold sweat sliding down my temple, cooling my already frozen skin. A hard push on my ribs made me stagger to the next kneeling man.

Vaas walked to him and yanked the sack from his head, a young boy with a rounded face and piercings in his nose and mouth looked at me as pale as death, probably terrified after hearing the shot. Newton gulped, but then he frowned when he saw me holding the gun.

“You fucking skank!! YOU’RE A FUCKING BETRAYING BITCH!!” he shrieked, tears of rage and fear sliding down his stained face, making small trails in the process. He sobbed loudly, gritting his teeth, his lip quavering; he lowered his face and kept crying disconsolately.

I trained the weapon at him, trying to steady my pulse; I released a trembling breath from my body, the knot in my stomach filled me. The young man kept muttering to himself incoherently. I breathed out loudly and allowed my fingers to act.

A stream of rich crimson began to issue forth from his fallen body, soiling the already reddish planks. More spilled blood, it was nothing but more spilled blood soaking that of countless others whose lives hadn’t been deemed worthy enough.

“You have one more,” said the pirate, a broad and ruthless smile twisting his mouth. He walked to the last man and lifted the sack slowly, almost dramatically. The old man didn’t look as frightened as the others, if only resigned at what was to come; a deathly pallor covered his face. The pirate grinned cruelly and walked to me, gripping my wrist and pulling me towards the man.

“The last one, Sofía,” said Vaas; I made no movement to lift the weapon, I just stayed there, blood rising to my brain painfully.

“He doesn’t have to die,” I muttered, looking at the old man’s face. “He’s innocent, he has never done anything to no one,” I couldn’t understand why I was saying all that, he was going to make me kill him.

“Innocent,” snorted the pirate derisively, he grasped my chin and turned my face to look at him, his eyes dark like burning coals. “No one is innocent. If it was the other way around, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it, and you know it. What is he to you? Does he mean anything? Remember what I told you yesterday, forget everything, make it disappear,” he lifted my arm again.

“Do it,” said the old man in a broken voice. “Do it, young girl. I’ve already lived long enough, I should have probably died during the war,” a bitter and fleeting smile crossed his lips for a second.

“So touching, I think I’m gonna cry,” sneered the man behind me, my grip tightened itself around the weapon and my teeth dug into the flesh of my mouth. He was the one that should be there, he was the one who should die; a dark red haze began to creep from the corners of my unconsciousness.

I lifted my arm and, knowing that there was no other choice, moved the muscles of my hand. The life from his eyes disappeared and he fell with a loud thud; another dark pool formed. I felt the pirate taking the weapon from my hands and pushing me to force me to walk, he barked some order to his men and we left the place, walking silently.

My body felt numb, just as much as my mind. It was better this way, no pain, just nothingness. We arrived to the silent shack and the pirate sat on the bed to take his clothes off; I imitated him and let all my clothes except the panties and the tank fall to the ground. He lay on bed and I followed suit, allowing him to put the handcuff around my ankle and then lying on my side. Finally, he surrounded me with his arm and pushed his frame against my back, I made no movement, just lingered there.

[1] Spare the rod and spoil the child.


	17. Chapter 17- Collision

**Hi! How's the summer going?**

**Seventeenth chapter, I'm really excited about it and I would really like to hear what you think about it, it took me a while to develop all the events in a fitting and convincing manner.**

**Thanks to those who keep reading this and have suscribed, I appreciate your patience a lot XD. Thanks to Aitana and Aylia1661 for reviewing!**

**This chapter contains rather graphical scenes of violence.**

**I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.**

**Once more, thank you very much for everything, I hope you like this new submission. If you feel like saying something, don't be shy and comment ;)**

* * *

 

“Come on, hermana! Rise and shine!” screamed a voice next to my head. Feeling startled, I raised it instinctively, and my head collided against something hard. I yelped in pain and someone beside me uttered a swearword. I grabbed the side of my head, gritting my teeth before the sharp pain. When I looked sideways I saw the pirate sitting on bed, clutching his forehead between his hands, grumbling something under his breath. Comprehension dawned on me suddenly.

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, are you ok?” I asked, he opened his eyes and threw me an infuriated glance; a knot of unease appeared in my stomach.

“Yeah, I’m ok, not such a pussy,” he growled, he grabbed the key that lay on the mattress and opened the cuff. “Pick breakfast and that shit, I got the thing the doc needed, so you can go and get it installed or whatever,” he walked to his trousers and took a small long box, he tossed it towards me.

I got up and started getting dressed, feeling more than a bit nervous. I looked for my clothes, which were scattered over the ground, then I walked to the wardrobe for another pair of panties. I chose a pair of simple black ones. The pirate stood next to me to pick some clothes, he looked at the panties I held in my hand and smirked.

“Don’t put those on, try the sexy ones,” he said, a dirty look in his eyes.

“Not very comfortable to roam around this place,” I muttered half-heartedly, he raised an eyebrow. Resigned, I crouched and picked those accursed garments; he went away and sat on bed, as if preparing to watch some spectacle.

I slipped the old panties away and put on those, then took off my tank and set the bra into place. They were rather revealing and not too comfortable, I only wore them for special occasions. Feeling myself blushing under his gaze, I stood there; he chuckled and whistled appreciatively.

“Wow, they look really nice on you,” he stood up and walked to me, eyeing my body. “If I ever feel sorry about buying you, you should wear them,” he grabbed the waistband of my panties and pulled me against him, our chests collided.

I could feel my heart beating hard, and even if the morning was rather fresh, my body burned. His hand reached for my buttocks and the other grabbed the back of my neck to lift my head and then he kissed me hard, his beard scouring my skin.  I grunted slightly when he pulled my lower lip between his teeth, I put a hand over his arm; I had to try to get used to it, the knot in my stomach appeared again.

Encouraged by me being so compliant, he pulled me harder against him and squeezed my buttocks with the hand that lingered there. I started kissing back and put my other hand on his side; he was just like any other man, his body and mouth didn’t feel unpleasant, not at all. His hands went to my bra and he succeeded in setting it loose. However, I remembered what the doctor had told me, we couldn’t have intercourse.

I would have to tell him, convince him that it wasn’t the time. Tact would be indispensable for this, but I didn’t want to risk the failure of the rod. I put a hand against his face and pushed him away gently, fighting not to be brusque.

“What now?” he growled, a deep scowl on his face.

“The doctor said that we shouldn’t have sex before having the rod inside…” I stated, crossing my fingers inwardly for him not to lose his head.

“So what?” he replied, he grabbed the strap of my bra and tugged down roughly, practically wrenching it off my body, as if he wanted to prove his point.

“You could make me pregnant and the rod wouldn’t stop it, and I can’t have the day-after pill because it could kill me or stop the thing from working,” I decided to exaggerate the side effects a bit. He frowned, deep in thought, as though considering if the risk was too big. “It’s only a few hours, after that…we can have sex, or whatever,” I felt my skin flushing at the thought, he frowned in concentration.

“OK, I’ll wait until you have that shit inside. I’d be fucking stupid if I you died now that I have paid for you, wouldn’t I?” he walked away from me in a rather disgruntled way and started getting dressed.

I bent to pick up the bra I had been wearing the day before and began to put it. However, the pirate turned and picked the lacy one he had thrown to the ground and tossed it to me.

“Wear that one, I would really like to find it in a few hours,” he smiled at the thought, before leaving he walked to me and swatted my thigh in what he must have considered a “playful” way.

Resignedly, I donned the bra and ended putting my clothes on. It was final, I was going to get the rod inside, there was no way back. I pocketed the long box and set off towards the canteen, I picked a pair of bananas and a mango and got back. I felt slightly queasy, the pirate sat on the steps, whittling a little twig with his switchblade, looking rather bored. I sat next to him and handed him his breakfast.

“Next time, bring me bananas, I’m getting tired of mangoes,” he huffed, and then started peeling the fruit. I ate mine as well as I could, I didn’t feel hungry, I could feel the rigidness of the box inside my pocket. When I finished I got up and prepared to leave.

“I’m leaving for the doc’s,” I announced, he just grunted in acquiescence while he lit a cigarette.

I walked down the slope and looked for the trail that took to his house. The camp was strangely silent, and then I realized the reason why. I didn’t hear dogs barking or the people from the cage zone; they must have taken all of them, sold to their respective masters. I had been bought too, everyone believed _him_ to be my “master”, my “owner”; a poisonous, evil-tasting bile rose to my mouth, I was trapped in his clutches.

Still with my nails digging unconsciously into my hands, I arrived to the doctor’s house and rapped the door. He came out and smiled slightly, he stood to the side to let me inside.

“Well, I suppose that if you are here is because he found the rod,” I took the box out of my pocket and gave it to him, he examined the package with interest.

“Is that what you wanted, isn’t it?” I asked, he nodded silently, concentrated in reading the prospect.

“Lie down on that stretcher while I prepare everything, please,” he said in a mild tone, pointing to said stretcher. I lay down on the thin mattress, trying to get as comfortable as I could, feeling more than slightly nervous.

I saw him washing his hands on the sink and then slapping into place a pair of disposable latex gloves. He got to me and proceeded to open the box which kept the syringe inside.

“It will probably change your period pattern, the flow during it could disappear, be a slight spotting, or it could increase more than normal. In any case, don’t worry about that; you may experience some side effects like moodiness, acne and gaining or losing weight. Those are the most common; should you notice any important changes in the next few days, you should come and tell me.”

Then he took a ball of cotton dipped in some solution and applied it to my arm, a knot formed in my stomach. It was always disquieting going to the doctor and having those kind of things done, I looked at his hands while he did it.

“I will inject you with some Xylocaine to anesthetize the arm,” he walked to the little table and brought a thin syringe, he held my arm lightly and then pushed the needle into my skin, making me wince in the process.

After that, he opened the envelope that contained the syringe with the rod, he took out the tap and examined it with curiosity. Finally, he started sinking the thicker needle into the puncture made by the anaesthetic and pressed the plunger slowly, I only felt a certain discomfort. After lodging the rod under my skin, he took out the needle and pressed against my skin.

“There it is, we have finished,” said the doctor, I got up slowly and flexed my arm thoughtfully.

“That’s it? I wear this and I don’t get pregnant?” I wondered aloud, he nodded silently. “When does it begin to work? He said he would wait until I had the rod but…after that…” I felt goose bumps rising on my back.

“It starts releasing hormones just after it is implanted, so there shouldn’t be any problem as far as I know,” I nodded silently and prepared to leave, however, he held me gently by the shoulder.

“Sofía, if you ever need to…to talk to someone about anything, you can come here. I can’t say I will be able to help you but…I would try to do whatever was in my hand,” he looked straight into my eyes.

“Thank you, I will,” I said, a heavy feeling in my stomach; he knew what awaited me, and was probably fearing the worst. I left the building and began to walk to the shack. I could feel a slight bulge below my armpit, where the doctor had put the rod.

The pirates looked at me and whispered among themselves when they saw me walking through the camp, word had probably been spread about Vaas keeping me with him. I climbed the slope and stuck my head into the shack, looking for the pirate; I walked to the other side and scanned for him. He had left, who knew where he was; maybe it was better that way, knowing the kind of unsavoury affairs in which he took part. I lay on the mattress and pulled distractedly at the thin strap of my bra. He would probably want to have sex the moment he came back, as he had said he would wait until I had the rod inside.

I inhaled hard and covered my face with my hands. “Get a grip on yourself,” ordered a grim and throaty voice. “It’s just sex, you do whatever he wants and try to keep him happy and that’s it. It wasn’t that bad the first time, was it?” I got up and paced around the room, then stood against the threshold and looked into the camp.

I remained there for a while, when I heard some kind of explosion in the distance, then a plume of black smoke rose into the blue sky. Feeling startled, I squinted my eyes trying to see something; some screams could be heard at the other end of the camp. I looked at the left turret; the man in it was aiming with his long gun in that direction, his eye close to the telescopic sight. The other man also looked in that direction while he talked fast through a walkie-talkie, a knot of unease formed in my throat.

Then gunshots echoed through the jungle, loud explosions, shrill screams, machine guns rumbled far away, dogs barked and the high-pitched din of sirens blared throughout the camp. Total chaos, a thick cloud of black smoke rose into the air and flames of fire licked the roof of some buildings.

“What the hell is going on!?” I screamed to the man on the left tower, he seemed to realise I was there.

“You get into the fucking house!!!! If you get hurt the boss will kill me, get inside and close the door!!!! Move!!!” he roared towards me, making swift movements with his arm to the house.

Feeling more than a bit unnerved by the situation, I scurried into the house and closed the metallic door, though I couldn’t lock it as the pirate had taken the keys. I walked in a crouched way to the bed and then looked through the window. What was happening? Were we being attacked? Who was it?

The gunshots and the noise got nearer and nearer, I peeked from between two bars, but from there I would never see anything. I could only see the smoke, smell the fire and gunpowder and hear the constant screams of men.

My heart beat hard and fast against my ribs, what was going to happen? So much uncertainty was killing me. Why did that fucker have to leave at that moment? I would rather be with him than alone. I heard more screams and then the loud bang of the sniper rifles from one of the men in the towers.

“Fucking take that, mofucker!!!” yelled the pirate at some unknown foe. Two men loomed over the hill, armed with Kalashnikovs and yelling in a language that wasn’t English. One of them began to shoot to the right turret; a shriek and a dull thud against the ground indicated that he had killed the man that was on it.

Immediately, another loud blast sounded and blood spurted from the head of the man who had killed the pirate, he fell to the ground too. His companion yelled in sheer wrath and ran to the left tower, the pirate came into view wielding a long machete and sprinting to meet his enemy. They rolled on the ground when they collided and began a feral struggle, grunts and curses reaching where I was.

What was I going to do? Should I help the pirate or what? I saw them rolling around the ground, punching each other, snarling like a pair of beasts. However, the man in blue overcame the man in red and straddled him, then raised his machete over his head and plunged it to the hilt into the man’s chest.

I bit back a gasp of surprise, the man wrenched out the knife covered in blood and staggered to his feet, looking dazed and tired; he spat at the corpse at his feet and went to his fallen friend. I saw him closing his eyes and muttering some words. Then the man raised his head and looked at the shack, I hid as fast as I could. Had he seen me? Was he coming for me? I heard a voice talking toward the shack in a strange language. He knew someone was there. I had to do something, sweat ran down my face; I needed a weapon, something…whatever.

I had the scissors hidden nearby.  My hand crept towards them, they were very small and pointy. “Hide,” urged a voice inside me, I crept to the place between the space of the door and the television, gripping the scissors so tight that my knuckles had turned white.

That moment, the door creaked open, my heart was going to explode, I felt about to faint. The man entered and scanned the room, his back towards me. He didn’t know I was right behind him; I did not think it twice.

I jumped over him and sunk the pointy scissors into his back, he yelled in surprise and pain; trembling and getting a tight grip on his shirt, I wrenched the scissors out of his flesh and stabbed them into the front of his neck. His nails dug into my forearm while he tried to free himself of me, I just stabbed him again and again while he tried to scream to no avail. He fell to the ground and dragged me with him.

 I managed to loosen myself and he turned on his back, trying to cover his bloodied neck. I recoiled from him in fear and collided against the bed, my chest rising and falling fast. Red blood streamed around his hands, unstoppable; it trickled abundantly from his mouth and lips while he mouthed inaudibly, the only things that came were gurgling sounds. His eyes were fixed on me while he tried to contain the bleeding, until he stopped moving.

Then, only my ragged breath could be heard, I clutched my chest hard, my body trembled and there was a reddish haze inside me. My sight began to focus and I saw the man clearly: his face had some strange tribal tattoos and thick dark hair covered his head, his eyes were rather slanted and his skin brawny. I got up slowly and prodded him with my foot, he was dead.

I had killed him, the scissors were still sunk into his neck, poking from between his hands. A red stain had started to seep into the floor. I swallowed, would he have killed me if he had seen it was me? There was no way of knowing, but now it was too late. There were still gunshots and explosions in the distance, the fight went on all over the camp.

It was total chaos, what if some more of them came to the shack and found me? What if I wasn’t as lucky as with that man? I had to leave the shack and find some place to hide, the question was where, the whole camp was bound to be in the same condition. Maybe I could go to the doctor, but that was probably where the battle was most dangerous. The camp was not safe.

I could run away, I could leave; the realization paralyzed my whole body. It could be my only opportunity to escape, the pirates were too busy fighting back and probably some of the entrances were unguarded in consequence. Besides, with all that chaos and Vaas out of the game, nobody would miss a young captive girl. My heart started beating fast again, but now it was out of exhilaration and hope. Maybe I could get back home with my family…maybe.

But I had to act fast, the pirate or those other men could be coming at any moment. I looked around, I could not go into the camp like that, defenceless and unprotected, I could be easy prey for anyone. Then I realized I had weapons near at hand, the man at my feet had still his AK-47 next to him; I bended and picked it up, it wasn’t as heavy as it looked.

I also saw a gun on a holster around his hips. I swallowed when I crouched near the corpse and began untying the thick leather strap from his body, then I put it around my hips and tightened the rusty buckle around myself, the gun and the pouch attached to it felt rather heavy, there was also a loop for a machete. I rummaged rapidly through the pouch and felt a pair of boxes with bullets as well as a lighter, I closed it again and left the shack. The three men still lay there; I tried to suppress a shiver down my spine. I also took one of the machetes lying on the ground and put it through the loop.

What now? Which gate would be unprotected? I knew of three ways out, the one near the doctor’s house should be the most easily discarded, as the thick of the pirates would probably be there. I could also try to escape through the cage zone, as it opened directly to the jungle, but it was too far. The third was the one through which the pirate had taken me to the river, fury filled me when I remembered the scene.

I could go down the side of the slope and try to keep a low profile while going to the gate, it shouldn’t be too hard to hide among that jumble of huts and barrels. I jogged down the slope, paying attention to the sounds of firing weapons that still echoed at the other side of the camp. I crouched and scanned the area for pirates and the other men, the place was empty. I ran among the huts, there were some bloodied corpses and one of the shacks had caught fire, I coughed and my eyes teared while I tried to find my way, clutching the weapon tight in front of me, ready to fire at the least sight of movement.  I advanced more and looked around, looking for clues, I heard some sounds and I ducked rapidly behind some boxes, I heard hurried footsteps running past me and saw a pair of pirates going in the opposite direction.

When they disappeared I dashed away again, pricking up my ears and straining my sight, my muscles taut and hard. After a minute of running haphazardly among the huts they began to open and I saw the unguarded gate, I could have almost screamed for joy and relief. I walked fast, but then I saw a figure crouching near a corpse.

A man wearing red pants and with a bare chest was rummaging through the pockets of a man with a green shirt, looting whatever goods he had, he seemed to feel my presence and turned.  I stood there paralyzed, then he took out a long knife and rushed to me.

“Slice and dice BABY!!!” he snarled, brandishing his weapon over his head. I pulled the trigger and several bullets burst from the end of the weapon, I grabbed the weapon hard while trying to control it, aiming at the man in front of me, closing my eyes in the process. When I opened them

 the man lay on the floor.

“Oh my fucking God,” I muttered, his body was covered in bullet impacts, blood gushing abundantly from them. I remained there for a few seconds, as if hypnotized by that gruesome sight. I came back to my senses, I had to run before people came alerted by the gunfire.

I ran through the unguarded door, a rush of adrenaline coursing through my system. I was out of there, but I still had to run; I crossed the road and took the same trail as that day, still clutching the Kalashnikov. “Run, run, run,” I repeated in my mind like a constant litany, my legs moving up and down, dodging the branches of trees and trying to avoid their exposed roots.

It wasn’t long before I reached the river, it was deserted. I almost expected the pirate to pop out from between some bushes and then rush at me. I stopped dead, biting the corner of my mouth. Where should I go now? I had no idea about what lay before me, no map to guide me, no plan; I was just a girl with some stolen weapons and a clenching sensation of fear. Had it been a good idea? I shook my head, it was too late to regret that; there was no going back, I wasn’t going back to that place. I waded across the river, the water reached my thighs; after reaching the other shore I climbed a steep slope, helping myself with my hands.

A high hill descended before me, and far away I could see another island, the sun was high in the sky. I climbed down carefully, grabbing onto rocks and branches of trees. I crouched when I saw an earthen road and waited there nearly a minute, straining my ears to see if there were people or cars nearby. I slid down the slope and crossed the road hastily, then started walking between some waist-high ferns. I had to avoid the roads as much as possible, that area would be crawling with pirates or maybe the other men.

I slipped among the trees, every sense sharpened. I could smell the loamy and wet soil and the intoxicating fragrance of unknown plants, the sun prickled on my skin and I was already covered in a thin film of cooling sweat. It was even hotter than in the camp, I shook my hair out of my face and kept going on, still holding the rifle , feeling the weight of the gun at my side and the machete dangling against my hip. Hidden birds warbled in the branches and become silent when I was too near, the high grass rustled and twigs snapped under my feet.

 A shrill inhuman shriek made me jump, I turned and I saw an odd enormous ostrich-like bird looking at me. It had some kind of furry black body and a flashy electric blue neck with bright red wattles at the end of it, on its head sat a horn-like ridge.  It shrieked again and shook its body, then walked toward me, uttering those strange screams and grunts. Hands trembling, I aimed the weapon at it and pulled the trigger, the bird walked a few steps; I tried to pull the trigger again but I had ran out of ammunition, then it fell to the ground..

“Holy fuck,” I muttered, my eyes about to pop out of my sockets. I had to leave that place before more of those things came or someone was alerted by the shots. I started running again until I reached another road, I hid behind the trunk of a tree and looked around, trying to steady my breath. I looked through the pouch and took out the bullets, but they didn’t seem to match the AK-47; feeling slightly frustrated at having wasted all those bullets, I slung the rifle over my back and took out the pistol out of the holster, I would have to make do with it.

I crossed and welcomed the shelter the trees offered. I had been running for a while and, despite having been going to the gym four days a week and running every day for a few good years, I felt rather tired. Of course, I was used to running on a treadmill or on a park with concrete instead of soft earth and unencumbered by heavy weapons, and I hadn’t done a lot of exercise during those weeks.

I entered a zone covered by rather thorny bushes, wearing shorts in that place didn’t look like a good idea; I took out the machete and started hacking them away, trying to make way for myself.

The sun was merciless and I was drenched in sweat, so much strain was making me feel tired and I was more than a bit frightened. But I was free, free after two weeks of being with that psychopath; I could go wherever I wanted because he wasn’t there to tell me what to do. I would find a way out of that island and I would see my family again and everything that had happened in that place would feel just like a nightmare.

I reached a wide river, there was no bridge nearby and it was too deep to wade it. I looked around and then eyed the deep, calm waters. The only way to cross was by swimming it. I got to the bank and jumped into the water. The contrast between the heat and then the cold liquid electrified all my senses, but after being in that stifling weather it felt perfect; I swam to the other side remembering that Vaas had told me once that they were crocodiles on those islands. It was difficult to do so, my clothes and the weapons weighed me down uncomfortably and I had to make an effort to reach the other shore. I emerged from the water and jogged under cover of some trees, thoroughly soaked.

I clambered up another hill and stopped dead when I heard a strange squeal nearby, I contained a scream of surprise and kept walking, going downhill. I had felt so startled that I hadn’t been paying attention to my surroundings, and I saw that a few metres in front of me were some buildings, and around them some figures dressed in red.

“Shit!” I thought, and I crouched rapidly behind a clump of trees, I saw two men walking idly around. They were Vaas’ men, rather clearly; both of them dressed in camo and red, there was a thin man with dreadlocks and a vest with the pockets full of Molotov cocktails and another who wore a bulletproof vest and a shotgun. They roamed around, looking idle and bored, they hadn’t seen me.

“Man, someone shoot me, if I have to spend one more hour in this shithole I’m gonna kill someone,” growled the one with the bulletproof vest.

“Need is some booze and a cunt o’ two, maybe could go to the village and pick up Natasha…she owes me a good blowjob for the dope I gave her,” commented the one with the dreadlocks, scratching his crotch.

“Can’t man, we received a message through the radio and the main camp was attacked by the fucking natives, we have to stay and keep our eyes open,” stated the other, the dreadlocked one huffed in annoyance.

“Gonna take a piss, get back in a sec,” said the one with the dreadlocks. He started walking to where I was, probably thinking that the trees would be a handy toilet. I couldn’t move from there or he would see me, and if I stayed he would see me anyway.

What was I going to do? My foot twitched and hit something hard, I looked briefly and saw a rock on the ground, I picked it up and threw it far away, the pirate turned his head and looked around in utter bewilderment.

“Who’s there?” he took a Molotov cocktail from out of his vest and raised it in the air, preparing to light it, he began to walk in the direction of the rock. “You better be a stripper or I’ll gut you like a pig.”

 I scuttled to the side and didn’t stop until I was hidden between some bushes. I bit the back of my hand, feeling my heart pounding in my ears.

I turned again and made sure that no pirate was around, then followed the bushes until I was behind an irregularity from the terrain. “That was so near,” I thought, wiping some sweat from my forehead with my hand. I kept walking in that crouching manner, turning from time to time to make sure that no one was following me.

Then, I followed a narrow trail and saw a pair of strange animals roaming, one of them emitted the squeal that had surprised me before and almost got me caught. They were some kind of black pigs with a trunk like an elephant’s; they shied away from me, they were probably harmless herbivorous animals. “All for a fucking pig with a weird nose,” I grumbled inwardly.

I kept walking, the muscles in my thighs felt taut and hard after so much time of using them by walking in that squatted manner. I put the pistol into my holster again, there were some ruins around, greenish and covered by moss.  They were just some stone pillars worn out by time and the elements; I walked nearby, barely paying attention to them, I had more pressing things in my mind than examining ancient buildings.

The trees opened and I saw that I was in the top of a mountain, at the other side stood another cliff with some kind of building on top and then sprawling beaches full of golden sand and a sapphire blue sea beyond, another emerald island could be seen in the distance. I walked near the rim of the mountain and looked around, the cliffs were rather sheer and the mountainsides were covered by lush trees and ferns, as everything in that island. I kept walking around the cliff, careful not to fall down; my legs felt as heavy as two pieces of lead, and the weapons kept bouncing against my body whenever I moved.

I got back to the trees and made sure that no one was nearby. I needed to rest for a while, so many emotions and exercise had tired me out; I sat among some shrubs and pushed my  head against the trunk of a tree. I lifted the hem of my tank and wiped the sweat from my face. I wished I had some water and some food with me, I had been walking and running in that heat and my throat felt extremely dry.

Now the question was what I was going to do; yes, I had escaped the camp and avoided every trouble so far, but I was still stuck on that island. If Vaas had established his camps and his men all over the island, they would probably control who went in and out of it as well as the means of transport; it also meant that there was probably no government or authority with enough power to help me.

  I had heard those pirates saying that the natives had attacked the main camp, maybe they were the ones I had seen, like the man I had killed; a knot of fear appeared in my stomach when I remembered. They were the pirates’ enemies, that was obvious; the question was if they would help me or try to hurt me or enslave me like Vaas. Anyway, I didn’t even know where to look for them.

I rubbed my temples, maybe escaping had been a mistake after all. “Oh yeah, you were leading such a cosy, calm life with that madman…” sneered a raspy voice in the edge of my mind. What would happen when he found out that I had disappeared? His wrath would be terrible, he would know what had happened and then he would start looking for me, maybe he had already started doing it and I was calmly sitting there. How would he find me, anyway? That island looked very big, but he had dogs to pick my scent and men who could scout for me. I got up and looked around, I needed some hiding place until I had worked out what I was going to do.

I started moving again, imagining the sound of barks and men screaming for me, imagining _he_ appeared before me with his face like a mask of rage. Shaking my head violently, I walked to side of the trail and looked down.

There were some buildings, small huts with thatched roofs and some rice fields. A village, it looked like a village; I frowned, maybe that was where those natives lived. It didn’t look like Vaas’ camp, they had rice fields and no walls surrounding the place, and it looked very calm. The sun was very high in the sky, it was getting late; time had been relentless while I had been trying to escape.

Maybe I could try to look into the village, it didn’t look dangerous; no gunshots or screams could be heard, no dogs barking nor anything that could mean the presence of pirates. I followed a path that ran on the side of the mountain and started descending. I took out the gun and made sure the safety was off, just in case I had to defend myself. I walked carefully and reached a wooden bridge that didn’t look too safe, I steeled myself and crossed it cautiously.

I reached the other side and the terrain began to level out, I walked between two hills through the road. Some concrete blocks and makeshift wall appeared into view. Carefully, I concealed myself among the high grass and walked to the wall. I didn’t know what awaited me there, even if it looked like a normal village. I crept through a big gap in one of the metal sheets and followed the road. There was some kind of hut there, I crept inside and looked over some sacks.

The village was oddly calm, no barks from dogs or bellows from cows, no children screamed while playing. Maybe I was too far away, or maybe the inhabitants were preparing to have dinner or something, though I could smell no smoke or food. I crept nearer and crouched in another warehouse.

The streets between the palm-tree huts were empty. I came out of my hiding place, still clutching the weapon between my hands; a few herons flew from the rice fields when I was near. The village consisted of a few wood and palm-tree huts supported by pillars, there were some wooden crates and an abandoned wheel barrow on the ground. So silent, it gave me a bad feeling, but I still walked among the huts.

“Hello?” I asked aloud and paused to wait for an answer, there was none. I walked a few more metres, raising the gun before me. “Is someone there?” I wondered again.

I walked up one of the ramps that took to the nearest house, there was no door. Always with my weapon in front of me, I entered.

Three figures dangled from a beam, tied with thick nooses around their necks. Their bloated faces twisted in hideous grimaces. There was a horrible stench and a cloud of flies surrounded a strange object over the table, I walked to it. It was the severed head of a man, it had started to rot and the flies were devouring the flesh and laying their eggs on it. Feeling utterly disgusted, I recoiled from it, nausea rising towards my mouth.

I escaped from that place as fast as I could, terror filling both brain and body. I leaned on the threshold for a second and panted, trying to control the retching sensation. I staggered away from the ramp and looked around me, desperation intoxicating my mind.

“Please, someone help me,” I pleaded, alone in that deserted village. I walked to another hut and saw a shapeless bloody mass of limbs lying on the floor, I covered my mouth and fled from that sight.

They had already been there, they had killed everyone. Men, women, children; they had killed everyone. My body shook like a leaf whipped by the wind. No one could help me, I was alone, I had run away from that place for nothing. I wished to crumple to the floor and linger there until I was found by those monsters; they would probably rape and kill me as they had done with those people, or if I was lucky they would take me to Vaas so he could kill me for escaping.

The shadows of the night were already falling, I heard howls in the distance. I ran like the wind out of that place, following the trail that had taken me there, jumping over the concrete barrier that hadn’t protected the people within. I ran past the rice fields and a few vultures that were pecking a corpse flew away when I was near.

I reached the beach and kept on running, my feet sinking into the soft, wet sand. When I felt that my lungs would take it no more, I relented and stopped for a few seconds. The sun was descending into a fiery reddish mass of water which seemed to burn and blaze under its dying light.

A place of so much beauty, and yet so much horror. I felt the warm sun bathing my face with its rays, like a soft caress. But nothing would erase those images from my mind, a bitter liquid flooded my mouth and I started walking aimlessly through the beach.

I saw a couple of islets nearby, one of them was little more than a crag with some vegetation at the top, the other was bigger and separated from the main land by a thin and shallow strip of sea. I waded into the water and trudged through the strip, my feet disturbing the nearly calm surface. I walked a few paces and then looked at the island, there was some building there, a smooth concrete wall poking from between the irregular rocks. I stopped and looked at it; it seemed semi-subterranean, like some kind of bunker. Maybe that’s what it was, the Second World War had reached those islands, maybe the Japanese army had been there.

What was I doing, going through my history knowledge? I could enter that bunker and at least avoid those beasts; a rope bridge connected the cliff with the main island, but it was far too high to reach it. However, there was some kind of enormous and long rock emerging from the sea that took to the islet, and it looked rather smooth and climbable.

I waded deeper into the water until it reached my knees, then put the weapon back into my holster and climbed up the rock, nearly crawling over it. Finally, my feet touched the fresh grass at the top and I saw the entrance to the bunker. I got near it and looked inside distrustfully.

Nothing could be heard, but that didn’t guarantee that there were no animals or enemies inside. Nevertheless, night was falling, and it would be insane to stay out in the open, where I could be found easily or be attacked by some carnivorous animal. I took out the pistol and tiptoed inside, waiting for my eyes to get used to the dimly lit inside, I descended some steps and reached another long low-ceilinged corridor, there was clarity to the left from a hole that reached the surface, it had a ladder to come out. I kept walking as silently as I could, following the light in front of me, there was another entrance there. I took a turn to the left, guided by some clarity; I entered a room with a thick horizontal gap for a window; it was bare, totally bare, nobody had probably used it in years.

The air was rank and I could smell the humidity from the walls, but I had nowhere else to go. I sat on the ground with my back against the wall, all the stolen weapons near me. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, tried to leave behind the hunger, the thirst, the fear and the desperation.


	18. Chapter 18- Wall

 

**Hello! I'm back! I have finally finished my tests and I have been writing since then while trying to enjoy some well-deserved (I hope) rest.**

**It's incredible this is the eighteenth chapter of the story. I think you will notice it is rather short in comparison with my other submissions, but I will upload the next part really soon.**

**Thanks a lot to those who are reading this story, and also to Aylia1661 for her comment on the last chapter.**

**There is some violence in this chapter, but nothing unusual for this fanfiction.**

**I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.**

**So, the next part of Sofía's adventure out in the jungle, I hope you like it. As always, feel free to review or point out anything you like!**

* * *

 

Hungry and thirsty, full of fear and desperation, I walked among the moist and high grasses, looking for some place in which to hide. Every fibre of my muscles ached with a heavy and invisible burden I carried; I wanted to leave, I wanted to get away from the things that were following. At last, I glimpsed something not created by nature in the thick vegetation, it was a small hut with thatched roofing. A sign of human life in the middle of that wildness.

The hut was silent and no life stirred inside it, and still, I had to come inside. I would never know what was there if I didn’t, the only weapon I had was a long, blunt knife which would be useless if I had to fight. I went through the threshold, ten figures dangled from the ceiling, twisting in their ropes; I could hear the creaking of the twisted, braided materials. Beyond, stony silence; I turned and saw the madman leaning against a wall, a cold and feral smile curled on his lips. He walked to me and gazed at the swinging corpses.

“You did all that, you know? They’re there because of you…You think you’re better because you’re here and they there…Don’t worry, you’ll join them very soon,” he took out his pistol and pushed it against my temple. I didn’t resist, just looked at the bodies in front of me, then a loud explosion filled the small room.

I woke up with an anguished scream, all my body jolted and I trembled against the cold floor. Forcing myself to inhale big gulps of rancid air, I sat up and looked around. I was lying on a concrete floor instead of on a bed, the room was almost totally pitch black except for the clarity that came through that horizontal line of a window. I rubbed my face furiously with both hands and pushed away my tangled and dirty hair. It had been a dream, just a dream; I was in the bunker I had found, still alive and hidden.

My heartbeat began to calm down and I was able to breathe almost normally. I could feel the weapons next to me, they were reassuring, I wasn’t totally alone with them. Beyond the walls the sound of the sea whispered softly, waves crashing against the sandy shores; like someone sleeping peacefully, breathing in an out. I curled into a ball and allowed myself to be soothed by its endless lullaby, drifting again into an uneasy rest.

Seagulls cackled out of the bunker, I opened my eyes slowly and saw the room flooded by light. My stomach rumbled with hunger and thirst was a constant pain in my parched throat. I got up slowly, all my body hurt after sleeping on that hard floor. I grunted, then began to examine my slightly scratched knees and legs; I had gone through thorny patches and climbed around rocks, so it was no wonder I had quite a few of them.

I listened to the waves lapping against the rock of the island. What was I going to do? I was hungry and lost, and there was possibly no one to help me. The pirates had murdered the natives that could have probably helped me, and I had killed that man in the camp, not even knowing if he was friend or foe. No, I would have to work it out myself; I had to find some way out of that island, there had to be boats somewhere. The village down there probably belonged to fishers, so there was a good chance of finding a boat. However, what I would do then? I would need some map and provisions in case the voyage was too long; what if I got lost in the middle of the sea?

Everything was so complicated…But I couldn’t stay on that island, I was running out of ammunition and I only had some sketchy ideas about survival techniques, but they weren’t enough to keep me alive for a long while. I could die from hunger or thirst, attacked by some prowling beast or, most probably, at the hands of the pirates. I cradled my head between my arms.

Maybe there was some food in the hamlet, some fruits or even tinned or pickled food. And there had to be a sustainable source of water if they had established their home there. Nevertheless, it wasn’t appealing at all going to that place of death and horrors, and those monsters could get back at any moment. Maybe they knew the bunker in which I was too and found me there.

“Maybe, maybe, maybe,” growled a gruff voice inside me. “You won’t solve anything by saying “maybe.” Get a move and do something, get out of this hole and try to find a solution,” commanded that displeasing voice. Grudgingly, I got up and slung all the weapons I had, then walked to the entrance.

A soft, salty breeze stirred my hair; I could feel the warmth on the sun and the freshness of the earth around me. The beautiful landscape of emerald green and sapphire blue succeed in lifting my spirits, if only slightly. I walked around the tiny strip of land on which I was, examining the broad-leaved plants and a few flowery shrubs. I reached nearly the end of the island, where it connected with the rope bridge.

My stomach groaned pitifully, the last thing I had eaten had been a pair of bananas the day before. I was also extremely thirsty, each breath scratched my dry throat. There was no food on that little island, maybe some plants were edible; however, I was taking no risks, the last thing I needed was getting poisoned. If I wanted to eat, I had to go to the village and try to scavenge something from one of the huts. That would mean facing those horrible sights again; I shuddered when a vivid image of that broken mass of limbs appeared in my mind.

Nevertheless, if I didn’t find food, I would die. That would mean that killing those men, running through that island and facing so many different dangers would have been useless. I adjusted the weapons around me, making sure that everything was in place. I walked to the rock from which I had reached the island the day before and began to clamber down carefully, holding myself carefully, eyeing the shallow waters below.

Before stepping into the water, I took off my socks and trainers, then crammed the brownish socks into my pockets and tied the laces of the trainers together so I could put them over my shoulders. I waded into the deliciously cold water, but I was too hungry to even notice. Tropical fishes swam around the crystalline pool, darting to one side or another. I reached the shore and walked over the golden sand, still barefooted; I kept walking like that until I reached the end of the beach.

After that, I hid behind some bushes to put my shoes and then eyed the place, it was as empty as the day before. However, I took out the pistol and walked furtively into the camp, hiding among the shrubbery and the undergrowth, new scratches appeared over the old ones because of the sharp ferns.

I entered into the village after a few minutes of walking carefully and pushed my back against the wall of one of the huts. I could hear some grunts and growls nearby, there was something there. It didn’t sound human; it probably was some carnivore, attracted no doubt by the smell of blood and rotting meat from the corpses.

I looked from my hiding place and made sure the beast wasn’t near from where I was. What could it be? He had told me there were tigers, bears and boars in that jungle, if it was any of those I was totally done for. Why did all that happen to me? Wasn’t being bought by some psycho enough? But I needed to eat and drink something, and soon.

I walked carefully to the source of that noise, holding my breath and hoping that thing, whatever it was, wouldn’t hear me.  The growls and snarls were louder, I heard something being torn by the beast, I looked into the hut from which the sounds came. There was some kind of dog there, eating something from the ground. It was a corpse.

It was too late to run away from it, it would hear me and go after me; it was distracted, I could kill it. I raised the gun and aligned the metal piece inside the channel in the middle of the sight, then I fired.

The gunshot resounded in my ears for a second, and then the dog whined, it had fallen to the ground. I walked cautiously to it and prodded it with my foot. It was dead. It looked like a common dog, though it had mangy fur with open sores, I wrinkled my nose in disgust and got away from it and from the bloody and rotten corpse that lay on the ground.

“And now, food,” I thought, taking my mind off the dog and that corpse. I came out of the hut and looked around, there were a few huts. I walked up the slope that took further into the village until I found what looked like some improvised square. There were some stalls with wares from the inhabitants, and beyond, a pile of charred corpses.

It still smelled of gasoline, ashes and burned flesh, it was truly sickening. They had probably been piled there by the pirates and set on fire; I didn’t understand how I hadn’t seen it the day before, though I hadn’t gone so far into the village.

In the stalls there were some crates full of rotten fish, a black cloud of flies buzzed over them. I left the square and took a trail to the right. Beyond there was a pair of huts and a rocky wall, but in front of them was a well.

I walked to it, thirst making itself even more present before the possible presence of water. I lifted a bucket full of clear water and drank directly from it, nearly tipping it over me. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, I needed some food and then I would get back to the bunker to prepare some plan.

I came into one of the huts, everything was rather disordered, those pirates had probably plundered the few belongings those poor people had. I looked into a crate and saw a lot of empty crystal bottles. Discouraged, I went into the other and rummaged through a few sacks. One of them contained a large quantity of rice, maybe that could serve. However, I couldn’t cook it, I had nothing to make a fire and I didn’t know how to do it by hand, using a few pieces of wood and a wooden drill. That moment, I remembered that I had a lighter in the pouch, I took it out and tried to light it.

Nothing but a few, shy sparks; it was probably useless after jumping into the river. Crestfallen, I kept rummaging through the sacks. They contained something that looked like potatoes, but their shape was more like a flattened turnip. I picked one and smelled it, it looked edible, I should cook it, though. However, now I had no means of making a fire, maybe I could eat them raw, at least it would fill my stomach with something. I took out the machete and started peeling it, careful not to chop my fingers with that big knife.

I smelled it and took a tentative bite, it was slightly starchy and sweet, between a pear and a potato, it seemed. I swallowed and took another, then another, it was rather good. I devoured that fruit, vegetable or whatever it was in the blink of an eye. When I finished I crammed some of them into my pockets and prepared to leave that place before some other beast came to the village. I went out of the hut, my pistol ready to be used; I breathed out in relief when I was out of that abandoned place.

I walked fast out of the village, looking towards the road from which I had come the other day. A prickling sensation on my neck assailed me, a strange unease in my body; I tried to dispel it by shaking my head and staring towards the road. There was no one there, what was the matter with me? However, my pace was faster while going through the beach. I wrenched off my trainers and shoes and waded between the rocks of the main island and the one with the bunker, then I clambered the stone I used as a ramp.

I sighed in relief when I was in the dark safety of the bunker, I had felt a knot of fear the whole time I had been out there. Finally, I put my trainers and sat on the floor to devour the fruit; it was delicious, ripe but not overly sweet. I had been able to carry four in my pockets, I ate two more of them and decided to keep the rest for later.

What was I going to do, then? I couldn’t remain there forever, the food would run out at some moment or some animal would eat it, if I wasn’t eaten myself before. I had to find a boat, a telephone to contact my parents or maybe try to look for the natives that had survived. Some must have survived; by the looks of it those people from the hamlet had been killed some days ago, and the main camp had been attacked later than that. And, of course, there was the problem of the pirates finding me…

Despite being full and rather sated, I was beginning to feel queasy. Furthermore, I needed to go to the toilet. I came out of the bunker and walked nearly to the end of the island, then crouched between some grasses and put down my shorts and my panties; I realized I was wearing the skimpy underwear ensemble, as he had told me the day before. Trying to take those thoughts out of my mind, I crouched with a sigh, looking distractedly into the mountain trail that followed the bridge.

A figure in red appeared from behind a protruding ledge. Fear froze me where I was; he was still far from me, I couldn’t recognize his features, but there was something disturbingly familiar in his gait. I only knew of one person who would strut so proudly, almost stately, through such a wild and dangerous jungle.

One drop of sweat collected on my right temple and slid down my face. “It can’t be him, please tell me it isn’t _him_ ,” I pleaded; I started sliding my clothes back into place, still crouching among some high grasses. It was as if someone was tightening a bar of iron around my neck, preventing me from breathing. “He can’t have seen you yet, but when he gets nearer, he will. Hide, and fast,” urged a sensible voice inside me.

I crept as silently as I could between the grass, using every fern, high grass or plant I found as a cover. The question was where I could hide, I could not leave the island, in the beach and in the sea he would have no trouble finding me, and the grasses were too temporary, if he got too near…

The bunker, I had to get inside the bunker and pray he would ignore it. I kept moving, the bridge creaked and whined under the weight of someone walking over it. I tried not to move the nearby plants while I advanced; I reached the door, but I didn’t go inside immediately. I looked towards where he was, he stood on the trail, near to where I had relieved myself. He had his back turned to me, apparently examining the ground. “Now or never,” I crept into the darkness.

The tightening sensation on my neck did not vanish when I entered, I went downstairs to the corridor and slinked away from him. The low tunnel amplified the sounds of the outside, and footsteps could be heard getting nearer and nearer.

I moved behind the second door and stuck to the wall as if wanting to melt into it. The dull thuds of his feet echoed in the threshold. I heard a soft, almost inaudible snigger from his direction.

“Sofía,” he chanted softly, I covered my mouth to prevent myself from whimpering in terror. “Oh, come on, I know you’re here,” he said when he received no response. I heard his feet encased in his heavy boots echoing on the steps.

“Ok, I get it. You don’t want to see me because you’re scared, I get it, really. But, can’t you come out and talk with me like the adults we are, hmmm? If you come here right now, we go back to the camp and I won’t punish you, I promise,” he stated loudly in what he thought a coaxing way.

“You liar, you fucking liar; your word means nothing,” snarled a voice inside me. I didn’t answer, I remained there, barely daring to breathe for fear that he would hear me.

“I see…you wanna play hide and seek, no? Ok, let’s play, but I’m very good at it,” he said in a cocky and louder voice, he was getting angry.

Plaf, plaf, plaf sounded his footsteps in the dark, dank pit in which we were. It was incredible that he wasn’t able to hear my heartbeat reverberating through the walls, feel the tension of my muscles in the stone. He was getting nearer and nearer which each step, and I was there, motionless.

“Sofía,” he chanted again. “Where are you, hermana? Come out!” His voice was raising its volume progressively, I had to leave. He was only a few metres away from me, separated by a thick wall; I felt his presence at the other side, I could hear him breathe through his nose.

He began to move towards the left, to the room in which I had spent the night. He would go there and then he would search for me where I was, I had to leave. I moved in that crouched position towards the open door behind me, a big rectangle of light in that semi-darkness.

“Getting tired of this shit, chica!” he growled, he was retracing his steps. I went to the outside and found myself in some kind of corridor with a caved in ceiling that took to the left and to the right. I turned left, my heart about to pop out from my mouth, hoping to see some way out of that trap.

There was some kind of bare room with no wall at the end and then a circular area enclosed by a low wall, and beyond that, a strip of sea and the main island. I got near the wall, there was a sheer fall that would not kill me, but probably leave me crippled for life. That was it, there was no way out and I was defenceless, and I could hear him approaching.

However, I was not totally defenceless; I had a loaded pistol in the holster, I took it out and put it in front of me, and then looked towards where he was. That was it, I had to face him or jump blindly into the sea.

He appeared from behind a wall, stalking like some dangerous and feral animal, his own pistol between his hands, aiming at the ground. He smiled when he saw me, I stood with my feet apart and the gun lifted towards him.

“Gotcha,” he said, almost silkily; his tongue slithered out of his mouth to lick his lower lip for the fraction of a second. His smile was lopsided and unsettling, false, demented.

“Get away from me!!!” I snarled, trying to steady my trembling pulse.

“Come on, Soph, I was worried, you know? When I found that guy dead in my place I thought those fuckers had taken you with them and I started following the trail…but then, I saw there was only a pair of teeny tiny feet going out of the camp and into the jungle. I thought I would find your maimed corpse at any moment...But you’ve fared rather well,” he made a gesture with his head towards the weapons I had, then gave one step.

“Don’t move!!! You go now or I will kill you, I swear!!!” I growled, forcing myself to keep my voice firm and my arms still and locked out, they hurt from the tension and the weight of the weapon.

“I don’t want to hurt you, really,” his eyes had darkened for a second, but he kept talking in that rather calm and conciliatory manner, he lowered his weapon slowly and put it back into the holster, as if to prove his point. “See? No weapons, now the nice thing would be that you put yours down…” he raised his empty hands into the air, I saw he had a Kalashnikov like mine slung behind his back.

“Yeah, of course. I’m not so fucking stupid. You’re a fucking liar,” I struggled to sneer at him, but there was an embarrassing tremor in my voice. He bared his teeth in a mask of rage, the façade of calmness fell.

“You think you’re such a grown up with those weapons with you, huh? Sofía, the great, terrible warrior, huh? You know what I see? I see a frightened little girl with a gun she doesn’t know how to use!!!” he roared, he gave another step.

“Ffff…fuck you!!!!” I stammered, recoiling in fear instinctively. That moment, I tripped with some metallic and rusty bar that emerged from the ground and I lost my balance. I fell on my back and I heard him walking towards me. Trembling, I tried to sit up and aimed at his head with my weapon. Then I pulled the trigger.

A loud blast crashed against the nearby cliffs.


	19. Chapter 19- Tomb

**A promise is a promise ;)**

**So, the next installment for this story, I know I left you with quite a cliffhanger, so I hope you'll enjoy it a lot :)**

**Thanks to all those who are reading the story and special thanks to Redtrouble for linking her story with mine, to Aitana and Eliza for their comments, to the ones who had been anonimously sending kudos, and to everyone who is reading this story and dedicating a bit of their time to this fanfiction, to which I try to dedicate a bit of my own time everyday.**

**This chapter contains some graphical violence.**

**I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.**

**As always, I hope you like it. Don't hesitate to post any commentaries if you want to point out anything.**

* * *

 

I opened my eyes, which I had closed when I heard the loud bang and stared at the place in which he had been.

He was still on his feet, he took a hand to the side of his head and cleaned a streak of crimson blood that had appeared near his temple. He looked at it and then at me, his face twisted and full of ire.

I tried to get up, but he was faster than me, he dashed in my direction while unslinging the weapon on his back, kicked the pistol out my hands before I could fire again and then hit me on the side of the head with his Kalashnikov. I fell to the side and cradled my head between my hands, groaning in pain, dazed and with a horrible ringing in my ears.

He pushed me with one of his feet so I was lying on my back, then put it over my neck; I tried to squirm away, but he pressed down to force me to stop. He took a hand to his temple and wiped the blood that trickled down from a small wound provoked by the bullet.

“You fucking whore,” he hissed, eyes black and every muscle of his face contorted in rage. He put away his foot and bended, then grabbed me by the hair and pulled upwards, forcing me to get to my feet. I yelled in pain and tried to get him off me, but it was useless.

“You fucking whore,” he repeated, this time louder, so near to me that our noses practically touched. His limbs trembling with barely-contained rage, he pushed me against the low wall behind me, turned me around roughly and then rammed my body against the concrete.

He pinned me with his body while he rummaged in his pockets, searching for something in them. I struggled feebly, but I still felt dizzy and confused because of the blow against my head.

He tugged my arms to my back and began to tie them with something that was probably duct-tape, winding it fast and chaotically around my wrists, until I couldn’t move them. He grabbed my hair again and dragged me away from that place. He took out his pistol once more and put it against the back of my head.

“Fucking move,” he growled. I started walking through the derelict corridor, we followed the other path and came into another dark room with a door that opened to the outside. Then, we left that place and walked down the sandy trail that took to the beach the turquoise waters shimmered under the sun, but all that beauty was meaningless due to the fear and the pain in my head.

“Into the water,” he commanded, pointing with his weapon towards the opposite shore. We waded into it until it was knee-high. I had trouble moving with my hands behind my back and the Kalashnikov wedged under them. Impatiently, he pushed me and I fell into the water.

I didn’t have time to breathe deeply, and I began to sink into the water like a rock, wriggling desperately to get out of it. I closed my mouth stubbornly while my face sunk into the bottom, my legs kicking out in sheer desperation. The little oxygen I had in my lungs escaped through my lips and was replaced by a mouthful of salty water.

Something grabbed me by the strap of the weapon and yanked upwards. I coughed violently and filled my lungs when I emerged, shivering and spluttering without control.

“Walk, don’t stay there like an idiot,” he grabbed the strap of the weapon to prevent me from falling again and practically dragged me to the shore.

He looked at me, frowning thoughtfully; then took a knife out of his belt. I closed my eyes tightly while it came to me, but he just tugged from the strap and began to cut it away, he took the Kalashnikov from me and made a knot with the cut leather, then crossed it over his back. I looked at him, still fearing that he would lash out at any moment, while he bended to untie the holster from around my hips, which he tied around his.

“Just in case you think you can escape again,” he sneered, then he seemed to notice the bulges in my pants, he turned me around and took the two odd and sweet potatoes I had found. He looked at them and, incredibly, a smile appeared on his mouth, though it wasn’t really calming at that precise instant.

“Benkuang,” he chortled, I didn’t understand what he said, it didn’t sound like English. He examined them for a second and then tossed them to the ground. “You must’ve been really hungry to eat that shit, weren’t you?”

He pushed me again with his weapon, forcing me to move. My clothes felt extremely heavy and I could feel cold tears of saltwater stinging the fresh cuts on my legs, the side of my head felt on fire. Something warm and wet contrasted over my neck; I trudged through the sand, looking at my feet, the cold rim of his gun was still against me, a heavy reminder of what would happen if I angered him further; the place where he had hit me throbbed, as if a battering ram was hitting it.

I could still see the footprints I had done less than an hour before. I had been so naïve, so innocent; to think that I could escape him so easily…It was as if I was doomed to remain in that hated island, as if there was a tomb prepared for me.

He grabbed the back of my tank to force me to stop when we were near the trail; he looked to one side of another, still holding me by my clothes so I wouldn’t try to flee. He took the gun to his back and scratched himself with the corner of the weapon.

“I need a fucking car or something, or at this turtle pace of yours we’ll have to spend the night out here,” he muttered to himself. “Too open though, those shitheads could be around, the shot may have alerted them… ” he kept saying in a rather low voice.

He turned to me and grabbed my arm to make me face him, then shoved the cannon of the gun against the wounded side of my head. My eyes watered before the sharp pain it provoked and I bit my tongue to stop myself from complaining. He stared at me, wrath was written in his eyes, mouth and flaring nostrils, he scowled while I forced myself to look at him.

“Listen to me, if you try to scream for help, run, play some trick on me or whatever, I will shoot,” he pushed the weapon harshly against my skull; I couldn’t help but grunt loudly in pain and try to get away from it, my eyes tearing , but he just grasped my arm and kept me in place.

“And, unlike you, I won’t miss. I’m really pissed off right now, the best thing for you would be to shut your fucking mouth, or else...DO YOU UNDERSTAND??” he roared, I felt droplets of saliva landing on my face.

“Yes,” I mumbled weakly, he grasped my chin with the hand that didn’t hold the weapon. He put the cannon away and turned my head to examine the wound. “Good, on second thought…” he rummaged in his pocket with the hand that had been holding my face.

He separated the duct-tape and put a long piece over my mouth, then cut it with his knife. He looked at the side of my head again and prodded it with one finger, I groaned against the thick plastic.

“You’re bleeding like a pig, if you pass out I will have to carry you, and I’m not in the mood,” he lowered the knife towards my body and I tried to recoil away from him. However, he started cutting pieces of cloth from my tank, baring my stomach in the process. After that, he bundled the pieces of greenish fabric together and pressed them against the side of my head; I squealed in pain when he put that fabric soaked in salty water against my raw flesh.

“Don’t be such a pussy,” he growled, holding the rags with one hand, he pried apart the duct-tape with his teeth and then stuck a long piece over the shredded cloth to hold it, nearly surrounding my head. Finally, he cut it and patted my head, making me grunt again.

“Good as new, walk,” he shoved me again, I dragged my feet; struggling not to fall to the ground. We started going up the slope, the sun fell over us mercilessly. The water cooled me down and was helping me keep my mind clear, but it was as if I was drunk: the outlines were slightly fuzzy and it felt as if I wasn’t really part of that world, as if I was just an observer.

I shook my head, trying to get away those stupid thoughts off my head; I needed to concentrate. Where was he taking me? “To the camp, quite obviously,” jeered an idle voice in the back of my head.

The pounding pain in my head had stunned me so much that it was hard to move, I had probably stopped bleeding thanks to the piece of cloth against my head, but I felt so weak that I was as meek as a lamb. It was impossible to escape, he had found me, he would punish or kill me. I could hear him behind me, his heavy boots crunching over the gravel of the ground and his breath.

Suddenly, he grabbed me by the back of the neck to force me to stop. He stood next to me, looking around, eyes moving in search for something, he muttered something and took out his weapon.

“There’s someone there,” he hissed in a low voice, he frowned and then grabbed me by the arm and dragged me behind a tree. He stuck his head out and listened intently, I tried to listen to whatever he was hearing, and I began to perceive voices in the distance. He forced me to crouch next to him and pulled from my tank to make me walk among the tall grasses. I tripped, moving with my hands behind the back and trying to hide at the same time was extremely difficult, he dragged me again while I tried to get to my feet.

“Be fucking careful, if they hear us I’ll beat the shit out of you,” growled the pirate. We were behind a big rock, he looked from behind it, his weapon ready. “Pair of shitheads,” he muttered, he aimed with the pistol and then fired.

I heard an angered yell from nearby, the pirate fired again and something fell to the ground. He watched over the rock for a few seconds and then pulled me to my feet. He dragged me away from the boulder and we walked towards the trail.

On the middle of the earthy road there were two corpses next to a blue Jeep, the pirate still held his pistol, he prodded one of the men wearing a green T-shirt with a foot. I  gasped when I realized that he was rather similar to the man I had killed, he even had some tattoos on his arms like that man, though his eyes were more slanted and he had a fine moustache on his upper lip.

The other man was slumped over something hairy, it was a boar, he had been gutting it. The pirate tugged from me towards the rusty and old Jeep, he pointed with his gun towards the seat next to the driver’s.

“Get in,” he ordered, his eyes still full of rage and anger. I tried to climb into the vehicle, but restrained as I was I couldn’t, I stumbled and he grabbed me so I wouldn’t crash against the ground. With an annoyed huff, he put his pistol into his holster and grabbed me by the waist, then hoisted me into the car with a loud grunt and dumped me unceremoniously on the seat.

He forced me to sit and then took out that damned roll of duct-tape and began to tie me with it to the seat, just below the breast. He cut the rest with his knife and climbed into the driver’s seat.

He started the car and stepped on the gas, rushing along the road at break-neck speed. If he hadn’t decided to tie me to the seat I would have probably fallen to the ground, as my hands were still behind my back and now crushed between my body and that uncomfortable metal frame. The pirate drove as fast as the car allowed it through that road in the jungle, swerving violently over the bends.

“You thought you could escape me, huh? Thought you were intelligent enough to get out of here?” he growled towards me, taking his eyes for a second away from the road and fixing them on me.

“No one escapes me, no one; you came rather far but…I got you, I always get you,” he took one of his hands from the wheel and fished out a packet of tobacco from his pocket, grabbed a cigarette between his lips and then lit it with a lighter. He took a long drag and then exhaled it through his nostrils, a puff of smoke engulfing us for a second.

The green trees and high slopes were rushing past us, the Jeep rumbled and jumped over that narrow road, making me bounce in the process. My hands were rather numb due to the lack of blood circulation, and my head still hurt from the blow.

How had he found me? How could it be possible? What would he do now? So many questions without an answer. The wind whipping my face and hair was helping me gather my ideas, which probably wasn’t the best thing for me in that moment. I looked sideways at the beast driving that car at an infernal speed; his face was set and his eyebrows furrowed in anger. What was going through his head?

I looked to the side of the road; I shouldn’t have waited so much in that bunker, I should have left it the moment I had woken up. However, how long would it have been until he had found me somewhere else? Maybe it was better that he had found me before some of his men did, I could imagine what would have happened if they had…some rather uninviting images appeared in my mind.

I fidgeted in my seat, trying to ease my arms, but I was tightly tied to it. He looked at me and snorted derisively.

“What? You uncomfortable? If you hadn’t been such a big bitch you wouldn’t be like that! Why do you have to make things so fucking hard for yourself?” he growled towards me, flicking away the butt of the cigarette. I looked at him for a second, rage rising over the haze in my brain.

How dared he blame me? He was the one who bought me as if I was an animal, how could he expect me not to escape at the least opportunity? Of course, he was too selfish to understand that. What was to him if I had a family who probably thought I was dead? What did it matter if I didn’t want to lose my freedom, my life?

He jabbed at the button of the radio, some Latin music began to blare out of it. We turned left, there was a red Jeep on the middle of the road, the pirate hit the brakes suddenly and my body was propelled forward for an instant. A pair of men appeared with weapons in their hands, aiming straight at us.

“Oy, fuckers!!! It’s me!!!” roared Vaas towards them. They lowered their weapons and looked confused for a second.

“Sorry, boss. With that car we thought it was one of the Rakyat,” I didn’t recognize that last and foreign word. One of the men got up into the Jeep and he drove off the road, making way for us.

The pirate accelerated and we were off again, he drove past a lake, next to which there was some kind of ancient ruin. Beyond there was the camp, I swallowed nervously; there it was again, crouching between the mountains like some fast-asleep beast.

We went past the open gate guarded by a pair of snipers, they did not open fire; the pirates from behind had probably told them about the arrival of their boss in a blue Jeep. He jumped off from the car and strode to my side, he took out his knife and began to slice away my restraints. He pulled from me roughly and I fell to the ground on my knees. He pulled me to my feet and forced me to walk into the camp.

I noticed we were in the area in which the doctor lived; he was precisely coming out of his house. When he saw me, he looked shocked and dismayed; we stared at each other for a few seconds while the pirate tugged from my body.

There I was, back into that place; I was dirty and my clothes were still rather moist from the sea, a pair of stinging new wounds had appeared on my knees after the fall. They had added themselves to the scratches I had earned during my escape through the jungle. Finally, I had that wound on my head, which was probably smeared in clotted blood, covered with shreds from my tank, leaving my stomach bare. Defeated and tied, weak and wounded, that’s what everyone in that place would see.

What a sorry sight I must have been at that moment, but no one felt sorrier for me than myself. I trudged after the pirate, whose fingers were digging into my arm in a very painful manner. We took a trail I didn’t think I had seen before, or maybe I was too distraught to remember it. Pirates looked at us when we walked near them, they didn’t say anything, just remained there staring at us like stupid and mute oxen.

“What are you looking at, fucking cocksuckers? Anything to say?” roared the pirate, the men that sat on a couch drinking a beer lowered their heads to prevent angering their boss even more.

We turned left and I saw that we were getting near the platform where he had forced me to kill that people. Did he plan to make an example out of me? Would he make me climb those steps, kneel on the blood-stained floorboards and then kill me? My body froze for a few seconds until he jerked me away from that place. I realized we were heading to the outskirts of the camp, the buildings were thinning down and there was more vegetation there, as well as a large quantity of garbage and waste from the pirates.

There was some lonely shack there, barely more than a shed. We stopped in front of it and he wrenched the door open, he turned me around and I felt him using his knife to cut the material that held my hands behind my back. Finally, he spun me around again and tore the duct-tape away from my mouth, I yelped loudly in protest.

“Have fun, puta,” he sneered, and then he threw me into the dark inside and slammed the door shut. I fell to my hands and knees and turned my head to hear the lock clicking loudly, leaving me in the dark.

I rushed to the door and tried to open it, banging on the door with both fists, trying to get out of there, like a rat trapped in a cage.

“HIJO DE PUTA!!!” I hollered, I kicked the door angrily, but only succeeded in stubbing my toe with it. I sat on the ground, it was better if he didn’t hear me, he wouldn’t take well that insult.

“What does it matter?” spat a displeasing voice inside me. “He has thrown you here and will probably leave you to rot or he’ll come here to get rid of you if he goes crazier than usual. You should have shot him the moment you had seen him; how the fuck could you miss that time?” it growled.

I stood up and walked around the tiny space, I was treading over some wooden floorboards that creaked every time I gave one step. My vision began to adjust and I noticed the clear slashes of light that came through the cracks between some of the planks that enclosed me. It was like a rather big coffin, dusty and dark; I hit something metallic with my foot, it was a bucket, probably left there to be used by the prisoners to relieve themselves.

Why had he shut me there? What was he going to do with me? The truth of my situation was beginning to sink in. He had me again, I had touched freedom with the tips of my fingers for barely more than a day, but he had me in his clutches once more. I sunk to the ground, as if someone had sucked all the energy, all the anger out of my body.

 There was no point in being angry, no point in trying to escape. I was there again, all the fear, the perils I had gone through had been useless; I had tried to survive for nothing, he would kill me for what I had done. Not only had I escaped him, I had also tried to shoot at him, and I would have succeeded in killing him if I had had some luck.

I pictured the scene in my mind, a living memory of something that hadn’t even happened. He was standing there for the fraction of a second, looming over me before he fell to the ground with a gaping hole in his forehead. After that, I got up safe and sound at last, and left his body there. I imagined myself coming home, seeing my parents after those nightmarish weeks, knowing that he was out of my life forever.

However, now all that was nothing but a chimera. He owned me now, he could do anything he wanted with me, I had lost my opportunity to escape. Now, the only hope I had was to survive his wrath and try to keep on living.

“Mierda,” I muttered, wiping two desperate tears that were forming in my eyes. Biting my lips and closing my eyes tightly, my body trembling from pain, fear and exhaustion, I pushed my back against the wall and covered my face with both hands.

My head pounded again and I felt nauseated, I curled into a ball on the ground and remained there, looking despondently towards that closed door. If only that bullet had found its target, I wouldn’t be there, it had wounded him, barely cut into his head, but it had been far from a fatal wound.

I lay there brooding over it for what looked like hours. Nevertheless, I knew it was useless, there was no going back from that, I would have to resign myself to whatever that was to come.

Someone opened the door, rescuing me from my gloomy musings. I sat up and gazed at the figure warily, it wasn’t Vaas, that was clear. The figure left something on the floor and then closed the door again, he didn’t say a word.

I crawled carefully to whatever he had left there, it felt like a metal dish. I took it between my hands and sniffed it, there was also a tin cup full of water which I drained immediately, it was as if I had drunk from the well ages ago. I picked the dish and put a pinch of whatever it was into my mouth in that semidarkness. It tasted like rice, although it was rather stale and cold; probably leftovers from the day before. I forced myself to eat it despite my lack of appetite, even if the only thing I had eaten in nearly two days had been those three fruits from the village.

Once I finished, I pushed the dish and the cup in front of the door and curled into a foetal position on the ground. I bit my lips, I was trapped again, I could do nothing. Who knew what the next day had in store for me. Who knew if I wanted to know it.


	20. Chapter 20- Rope

**Hi there! It has been some days since I published the nineteenth chapter, but I wanted to take some time with this one.**

**I can't believe this is the twentieth chapter, taking into account that they tend to be rather long. I hope you will like it.**

**Thanks to all my readers for following and commenting this story, I can't tell you how much it means knowing that you like it.**

**This chapter contains a graphical depiction of violence and torture, as well as some language.**

**I do not own Far Cry, nor none of its characters.**

**I really hope you enjoy it, I have many things prepared to continue, though it will take some time until I develop them in a fittingly manner. As always, don't hesitate to review! I appreciate anything you have to say :)**

* * *

 

 

I fidgeted on that uncomfortable wooden floor, each crack from the planks digging into my sore and fatigued body. I had barely slept that night, even less than the one I had spent in the bunker. My eyelids lifted themselves slowly, a slash of golden light made me close them again, a reddish glow hurting my eyes. I sat up carefully and opened my eyes slowly again. The tiny room was plunged in a sea of jet darkness and gold coming from the spaces between the dry planks. Each beam of light revealed a thin strip of dusty specks lazily floating in the air, shimmering and glimmering like gold, thousands of molecules and millions of atoms of dead matter hovering around me.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to take the sleep out of them; the side on which I had slept hurt and my arm was totally numb. There was also a dull pain on the zone in which I had the wound, I examined it gingerly with my fingers, flinching slightly at the touch. It had stopped bleeding, but it was still tender and open.

Needing to use the “toilet” I got up and crouched over the bucked with a disgusted huff; if sleeping with your own excrement wasn’t revolting, I didn’t know what it was. At least in the cages we were in the open…but I would have to make do with what I had. When I finished, I retreated again to my corner, pulling at the loose threads from the roughly cut tank I wore. I was still alive, and that was something that wasn’t usual from someone who had angered Vaas, as far as I had seen.

 He intended to keep me alive for the moment, he had made one of his men bring me food the other day. He wouldn’t bother himself with feeding someone he planned to kill soon, would he? However, he was so fickle, his moods so ever-changing that it was impossible to predict anything. Maybe it was better not to waste time and energy conjecturing and just wait for whatever that had to happen to actually happen; but being idle in that place wasn’t helping at all.

I untangled the snags in my hair for lack of anything better to do, but only succeeded in making my head hurt even more. After a while I started pacing around that minuscule and enclosed space, trying to peep between the planks, looking for something to see. The brief images I saw were patches of high vegetation, a metal wall and barely anything else. I couldn’t even hear sounds from the camp, dogs barking, pirates talking and screaming to each other, the usual in that place.

Finally, pacing around the rectangular space turned wearisome and pointless. I lay on my back again and looked to the ceiling, a beam supported it, from it hung a lonely bulb, but there was no switch to be seen on those walls. After a while I started perceiving the sounds from the jungle; there were birds warbling, squawking and chirping in the nearby trees and animals or insects scuttled amid the grass. Was a cricket what I was hearing? Were there crickets on that alien and isolated island?

There I was, wondering about the local wildlife instead of worrying about the predicament in which I was. Maybe in a few hours I would be kneeling on that loathed platform of his as a spectacle for his pack of rabid dogs. Then…then I would feel what those people he had forced me to kill had felt, being there knowing that death was looming over me with a cold weapon pressed against my skull. What would it feel like when the bullet pierced the hard matter and then sunk itself into the brain? Would it be painful? Would I see the pirate mocking at my fallen body before every sensation was snuffed out and I left that world? I dug my nails into the wood, why should I be thinking about all that?

Suddenly, a flash of light blinded me for a second. I realised it was the bulb that hung from the beam, someone had turned it on from the outside. After that, I heard metal clinking on the outside of the shed and the metallic door was opened with rusty groan. The pirate strolled into view and I sat up hastily, cramming my body into the corner. I expected him to walk to me and attack, but that never happened. He sat on the floor with a slight grunt and leaned against the wall, taking a long drag from the cigarette he held in his hand.

We looked at each other for a few seconds, I was hugging my knees and fear must have been plain on my face. However, the all-encompassing anger that filled him the day before wasn’t reflected on his face, he just examined me from where he was, the little ember glowing brighter whenever he took a drag of the cigarette.

“Did you have a good sleep, hermana?” he asked in a low tone, dark brown eyes staring into mine. I cleared my throat silently.

“Are you here to kill me?” I said in a reedy and dry voice, barely more than a whisper. His laugh was just as dry and clipped.

“If I had wanted to kill you in the first place we wouldn’t be chatting, you’d be lying on a pool of your own blood,” he said with a mirthless chuckle. He took a long drag again and exhaled it through his nostrils, looking at me deep in thought.

“Then why are you here?” I asked, my mouth feeling dry and sticky.

“Haven’t decided what the fuck I’m going to do with you yet…so I thought I might as well come here and see you. You see, you’re making things difficult for me right now: I bought you, I spent a little fortune on you, saving you from being turned into a whore. But, how did you pay me? You escape from my camp and then try to kill me,” his voice was harder and he glowered at me, goose bumps began to appear on my nape.

He turned his head towards me and showed me the right side of his face, there was a small stitch over his temple, presumably where I had wounded him with that bullet. I swallowed, tensing under his glare.

“Luckily for you, I don’t fucking know what to do. Plus, I feel curious about the details of the escape, you know? I have some ideas about what happened, but I’d like to know what really happened, to hear it from you,” I remained there tongue-tied, shocked and terrified at equal parts at what he was saying.

“Come on, tell me what he happened. Did a tiger eat your tongue out there or something?” he growled impatiently. I eyed him for a few seconds, why would he care about what had happened before finding me?

“I’m waiting,” he grunted again. I would have to tell him, what did it matter?

“Well…I suppose…Everything was so fast,” my voice was hoarse, I wished I had some water to clear it. “I’ll start from the beginning, I suppose. After the doctor inserted the rod I went ho…to your place, and then I heard some kind of explosion and gunshots in the distance. I went out to see what happened, one of your men from the towers told me to get inside the house before some men came and killed those two snipers,” I stopped for a second to take a long breath and remembered the man straddling the pirate and plunging a machete into his chest.

“I was hidden in the house when your men died, there was only one man left, and I think he heard me, because he looked towards me and said something…I didn’t understand it, it wasn’t English. I didn’t know what would do that man when he saw me, he could attack me, so I took a pair of scissors I had in my bag and hid near the door,” I didn’t tell him I had been planning on using them to defend myself against him.

“Yeah, saw them sticking from the asshole’s neck. That was rather clumsy, you know? The dude’s neck was like a fucking sieve,” he looked at me intently for a few seconds, as if it was the first time he really saw me. “How was it, how did you kill him?”

I bit my lower lip, blurry images of the fight crossed my head, practically indistinguishable one from another. The most vivid image was the man lying on the ground, clutching his bleeding neck and staring at me, mouthing for air, his death rattle echoing in my brain. My breath had turned shallow and a cold sensation invaded my body, I swallowed.

“I was hidden…he came inside and didn’t see me, he was looking around. Then I jumped over him and stabbed him with the scissors. He began to resist, but I just stabbed him in the neck until we fell to the ground,” a residue of the horror I had felt then appeared in my mind, I dug my nails into my legs.

“What then?” he asked, eyes still staring at me.

“I don’t know, I could hear the explosions and the fire all over the camp, and I was fearing that some more of those men would come...I…I realized I could escape,” I looked at him, a knot of fear in my stomach, as if I was fearing that he would be triggered into some violent reaction by me stating that.

“I mean…the camp was total chaos, there should be some entrance unguarded. No one would miss me as long as they were fighting, and the snipers from the towers were dead. I took some weapons from the man’s body and left, trying to hide from the people that still roamed the camp.

“You went through the northern door, didn’t you?” he asked, then took another drag, my face must have been one of plain puzzlement, because he sighed impatiently. “The one through which we came to the river, remember that time?” the shadow of a smile flitted across his lips for a second.

Of course I remembered it, my face started flushing.

“Yes, that one, it was unguarded, there was only one guy but I…got rid of him,” I muttered. The man rushed again towards me, screaming at the top of his lungs. “After that, I reached that river and then I went down that slope.”

“Where were you going? Why did you choose that trail?”

“I…I don’t know, I only knew that it was too late to get back to the camp and that I had to put some distance,” I would have added “between you and me” but I decided to omit it. “I crossed the road and then I found this big no, huge bird. It was black with a blue neck and it started screaming at me in a threatening way, so I killed it.”

“Cassowary,” he said, nodding to himself slightly.

“Yeah, whatever; I left before more of those cassowary things came. I swam across a river and kept walking, I heard something squealing and it startled me so much that I walked quite fast and didn’t see there was some camp in front of me,” suddenly, he guffawed lustily.

“You got frightened because of a tapir?” he asked incredulously, his body quaking while he laughed soundlessly.

“A what?” I muttered in bewilderment.

“Fuck, chica, one of those animals like pigs, with a long nose,” he kept laughing. “Sorry, guapa, but it’s very funny, you know? It was probably more frightened of you than you of it,” he made a signal with his hand, biding me to continue.

“Ok, I hid behind some trees when I saw that I was so near to them. Luckily, they hadn’t seen me; there were a pair of guys talking there, one left and the other began to walk to where I was. I managed to distract him by throwing a rock, and I escaped that place. I tried to get as far away as possible from there and I saw a village down next to the beach.”

“Don’t tell me, you thought it would be a good idea to see if someone would help a poor lonely girl,” he mocked, throwing the butt of his consumed cigarette to the ground.

“I…I didn’t know what to do, I knew I wouldn’t survive on my own for too long, I needed help. The village looked alright at first, it didn’t strike me as one of your people’s camp,” I muttered, more to myself than anything.

“What then?”

“I went down and entered the village, everything was so silent…it was odd. I came inside one house and the only thing I saw were…corpses,” a searing image of dangling bodies and casting shadows appeared in my mind’s eye. A shiver went down my spine, I took a few shuddering breaths, trying to regain control over my reactions.

He snapped his fingers to make me react. I realized where I was and stopped looking at the cracked floorboards on which I was sitting. A match sizzled for a moment next to me and I saw the man lighting another cigarette. He inhaled the toxic-smelling smoke and let a small cloud of it hovering over his half-open mouth.

“After that…I got out of that place, there was no one to help me, I would have to get by alone. Then I found that bunker and…well, you found me there yesterday.”

We remained there in total silence, the yellowish incandescence from the hanging bulb gave us a sallow, sickly appearance. The vivid ember glowed each time he put his lips to the cigarette, smoke swirled towards the ceiling almost sluggishly, as if time was about to freeze forever. Maybe it would be better if everything stopped, including me. Other sounds made themselves patent outside the small shed. Crickets, birds, animals and the other pirates were totally oblivious to the tense atmosphere inside that room; I could hear them, leading their lives as they pleased, while mine was in someone else’s hands.

The pirate kept smoking, deep in thought; his eyebrows were knitted and his mouth was set in a grimace of concentration. My body was so taut that it hurt; what was he thinking? Would he ever say anything? However, he didn’t look as if he was about to say something, so I waited like an accused for the judge to pass sentence. My nerves were more and more raw-edged, cold and clammy sweat made my tank top stick against my back.

“You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” my voice sounded hollow and tired when I said this. I was tired of waiting, I was tired of fighting.

“No,” his voice was harsh and firm. “I’m not going to kill you. But…I’m going to punish you,” he concluded, my heart beat faster at the mention of the word “punish”.

I looked at him, my mouth even drier than before, the expression in his face was unfathomable. He peered at me keenly for a few seconds, as if he was gauging my reaction. Then, he stood up slowly and left the shed. I frowned, I didn’t understand what was going on, hadn’t he said he was going to punish me? What was he going to do to me?

He came back after a few instants, I noticed a coil of rope slung over his shoulder, he stepped until he was in front of me, blocking the light with his figure.

“Up,” he commanded, I tried to move, but my muscles didn’t seem to want to answer. “I said up!” he growled.

With a great effort, I stood on my feet, holding myself against the wall; then he grabbed the front of my clothes and dragged me to the centre of the room. He yanked my hands in front of me roughly and started tying them with the length of rope. At this point, I was trembling slightly and my knees felt like water. He flung the rest of the rope over the beam and began to pull from the other end, tightening it and forcing me to stand more and more upright. Finally, the rope was so taut that I had to stay on my tiptoes, like some sinister and shabby ballerina.

When it was to his liking, he lashed the rope to the beam; I had trouble standing so unbalanced and the rope was very tight around my wrists, the coarse material rubbing against them.  He stood in front of me, hands on his hips, seemingly admiring his handiwork. He rummaged in his pocket and took one cigar, then lit it with a match, turning it between his fingers until it caught fire. The pungent smell of the tobacco filled the room, he gave two steps so as to be a few centimetres from me and blew the smoke on my face.

I coughed while he paced around, examining me. My arms were to the sides of my head and I could barely move it. I closed my mouth shut to stop my teeth from chattering, standing precariously on my toes; the rough rope was already chafing my wrists and my hands were getting numb.

He stopped in front of me, one hand twiddling with one of the braces dangling from his trousers and the other holding the big cigar. He stared at me for nearly half a minute, my breath was ragged and my blood roared deafeningly in my ears.

“Man, I don’t know where to start. So many places but…yeah, I’ll take that shit off before I start, much more comfortable,” he grumbled to himself. My heart rate increased when he walked to me and started lifting my clothes off my body. He bunched the ragged garment around my wrists until it would hold by itself.

A feral smile showed me his white teeth while his eyes took in the lacy bra I was wearing. He laughed under his breath and then looked at me, full of amusement.

“Oh, come on, don’t tell me you’re still wearing that!” he sniggered and pulled at the strap that held the cup to my body. Still smiling, he unbuttoned my shorts and let them fall to the ground, he snorted with laughter when he saw the matching panty. Apprehension filled my stomach, I looked at him uneasily, crouching on the ground in front of me.

“I think I’ll take off those too, I’d hate to spoil them,” he slid down the panties from my body and took them away with the shorts, then tossed them mindlessly to the ground.

He stood up again and reached behind my back, the heat of his body and his smell enveloped me for the few seconds it took him to unclasp my bra and drag it upwards. His nearness unnerved me even more, I inhaled sharply, my breasts rising and falling conspicuously in front of him. He tucked the straps into the ropes to get it out of the way, holding the cigar with his teeth, the sickly smell deep into my nostrils.

Afterwards, he took a few steps backwards and looked at me, apparently satisfied with the result. He pulled at his beard slightly in concentration while my body shook tremulously, both from the effort of being on my tiptoes and the sensation of foreboding inside. He sensed my fear, of course he did, even if I was trying to hide it as much as possible.

“Come on, no need to look so frightened!” he stepped near me again. “It’s not as if I was going to maim you for life or something, you know, cutting some limb or disfiguring your face…No, it’s just a little example of what happens when you piss me off,” despite the darkness of his irises, it was as if they were made of ice, or maybe from cold, unfeeling onyx. He turned away from me and paced around.

“I have practice with pretty women that are to be sold, the buyers don’t like them if they are scarred. I’m not so picky, though, I don’t mind a few. Besides, I would be a hypocrite, wouldn’t I? I have many scars myself…” he stopped and tapped the large one on the side of his skull.

Did he pretend to ease my fears by saying that? If anything, he scared me even more. It was probably the offhand way in which talked about hurting people, hurting me, as if it was nothing but part of his job.

He was face to face with me again, he had pulled the tether so taut that I barely had to lift my face to look at him. He frowned and looked at me again, then realized he had the burning cigar between his fingers. He took a long drag and then, suddenly, he pressed the white-hot ember against my skin, just below my left breast. The searing pain elicited a howl from my throat while he kept pushing it into my burning skin, I closed my eyes and tried to stop screaming, then he threw the put out cigar to the ground.

“You see? _That_ will leave a scar, I have experience with cigar burns,” I pursed my lips before the stinging pain below my breast and looked at him with a mixture of fear and hatred, his eyes glowed like dark coals.

“Don’t look at me that way! You brought this upon yourself!” he snarled. “The only fucking thing you had to do was remain where you were and do as I say. But no! You had to try to escape!” He growled, pacing around, pointing at me with his index.

In his anger, he pushed me roughly, making me lose my footing. Had I not been tied to the beam, I would have fallen to the floor, but I just swayed like a pendulum. The ropes tightened due to me being deadweight for a few seconds, the prickly material bit into my already sore skin. I fought to stand on the floor, still straining to stand on my tiptoes.

 He strode to me again, I attempted to get away to no avail, tied as I was. He grabbed my whole mane with his fist and pulled down to force me to look at him. His jaw was set and I had a hard time holding his glare without flinching in fear; he exhaled through his nose, but his grip did not lessen.

“Leaving so soon? We’re just getting started,” he sneered, his breath smelt like tobacco and alcohol. He raised his other hand and covered both my nose and mouth, preventing me from taking in air; I squirmed, but he grasped my head very tightly while his hard hand nearly crushed my mouth and nose. I began to panic because the reserve of air in my lungs was dwindling, I stared at him with wide eyes while I mouthed in hopes of sucking in some oxygen; it was hopeless, though.

I squirmed and writhed with all my might, but there was no point in fighting against him. He was bigger and stronger than me, and I was tied and slightly dizzy. I groaned against his palm when he kicked me in the left shin with his heavy boot. I closed my eyes before the sharp pain, but it didn’t make me stop moving.

His face was far from impassible while he choked me, scowling deeply and lips tightly closed in concentration. I looked at him while my sight blurred and I grew more and more lightheaded. I stopped fighting gradually, it was as if my body had turned into lead. A dark shadow started devouring me, I struggled to remain on the surface, but darkness waited for me with open arms, beckoning constantly.

* * *

 

A smarting sensation against my cheeks tried to drag me out of the dark well in which I had fallen. I moaned pitifully, it was so comfortable, everything was warm and dark; there was no pain, no fear, nothing, just what I needed. However, something kept pulling from me, fighting to flush me out of my burrow. A muffled voice sounded in my ears, as if it was on the other side of a wall. I just grunted and tried to turn my head away from it, but the smarting sensation in my cheeks just increased. Suddenly, it was as if someone had turned the volume on.

“Sofía…” something collided against my cheek, but not too harshly. “Not the time to take a nap, chica, wake up,” ordered the familiar voice. I whined, my eyes closed tightly while the stinging sensation on my face increased. My wrists burned painfully, if felt as if someone had wrapped barbed wire around them.

“That’s it, wake up, Soph,” whispered the rough voice near me. My body hung limply, as if suspended, the hands on my face lifted one of my eyelids. My sight began to clear and I saw a man with a Mohawk, staring at me with a mix of worry and curiosity in his face.

“Fuck, I thought I was going to have to revive you,” he reproached. I took in loud gulps of dry and dusty air to appease my lungs and held myself over. My throat rasped and each breath hurt, but I could breathe. I remembered where I was and put my feet on the ground as firmly as I could; the pain on my wrists eased slightly when I did so.

Still dazed and in a dream-like state, I watched the pirate lift my lids and examine me. Then he got away and started pacing around. We were not finished, thousands of images of what he could do flashed through my mind. I gasped in fear and shock when I felt him groping one of my arms from behind, but no pain or negative sensation came from it, he allowed his hand to descend down my spine.

“You know, with you naked, tied and everything this reminds me of the time I cuffed you to the bed and we played the guessing game, remember? Well, I suppose that time was far more enjoyable for you, wasn’t it? You could have avoided this, and you know it. All the escape, all for nothing; not many people escape my camp, but we always get them. Sometimes they run into some other camp or they are found by a patrol, or the dogs get them. In other occasions they aren’t so lucky and we find them in the jungle, killed by a bear or a tiger. You got really far, I didn’t think you would be able to get away for so long, but I knew I would find you…you were rather good, but it wasn’t good enough to win me,” his mouth was against my ear, goose bumps erupted all over my skin just by hearing his dark and angry tone.

He got away and then stepped in front of me again, his face sunken in the shadows wherever the light didn’t touch his skin. He toyed with the flap of one of his pockets for a few seconds and then something gleamed in his hand. My eyes looked ready to pop out when I realized it was a small knife, he twirled it between his fingers distractedly. I swallowed painfully, my body quivering slightly again; he took two steps and raised the silvery blade to my face, then caressed it with its edge. I made a grimace of pain and then a warm drop of blood slid down my cheek.

I beheld in utter horror how he raised the blade to my arm, the tip sunk into the inside of my arm, a little below the crook of my elbow. He slid it down my arm and cried in pain, tears welling in my eyes and threatening to overflow. I bit my mouth until it hurt as much as my arm, eyelids squeezed shut.

The blade cutting into skin and flesh disappeared, but not the sharp pain in my arm. I heard him shuffling and I opened one eye, he was crouching in front of me, his blade in front of my thigh. I moved away when he started pushing the blade against it, but he just grabbed my leg roughly and glared at me.

“Be fucking still,” then he pierced my flesh with the metal, gliding it upwards in an extremely painfully slow way.

 My body twitched, but his palm dug into my thigh while he kept sliding the blade. This time, I wasn’t able to prevent the tears from flowing, mingling with the cut he had made before, stingy and salty. I fought not to sob and closed my mouth as tightly as I could. Paralyzed, unable to do anything, I watched him opening my flesh to the dusty and dirty air, blood oozing down my leg.

He stood up; I hid my tear-stricken face from him, deeply ashamed. “Don’t let him see you cry, don’t be a fucking weakling,” growled a metallic voice in my brain. I stiffened when he paced to my back and the cold and wet edge brushed the low of my back. He began to cut in a horizontal line, I threw my head back and screamed against my closed lips, gritting my teeth and closing my numb fists.

I wanted him to stop, I wished to beg to be released, to be forgiven. The only thing I wanted was for him to stop, I would say anything to make the pain stop. Nevertheless, it would be useless, he would ignore my pleas or get more angered by them.

He finished the slash and then crouched to the side of my other thigh, he slit the flesh again, I nearly lost my footing and the rope gnawed cruelly into my already raw wrists. This cut wasn’t so long, but the pain was the same to the one on my arm, wrists, back, the other thigh and the round burn below my breast.

He got up again and walked backwards, a hand below his chin, like an artist evaluating his work. He squatted in front of me again and, bemusedly, I watched him untying my shoelaces, he took both trainers and the socks until my feet were bare. He moved behind me and he forced me to lift my foot backwards, exposing the sole. I winced when the skin of my thigh stretched and grabbed the rope above me to help me steady myself. The rope dug again and a wet sensation descended down my bound wrists.

I was distracted by more pain in the sole of my foot, he was cutting the toughened skin with the blade. A new freshet of tears rolled from my eyes and I gripped the rope tightly. I was beyond resistance, I had been for a while, when I understood there was no point.

He let my foot crash against the floor and stars danced in front of my eyes while I howled in pain, forgetting to close my mouth. When I opened my eyes, he was in front of me, and he had pulled out his gun.

I gasped in terror before his weapon, his index was on the trigger. He had grown tired of playing and wanted to finish me off; if I should beg, it had to be now. However, had he ever listened to someone begging him not to shoot? Probably never, and it was as if someone had torn my vocal chords from my throat, I could not have begged more than I could have gone out of that shack. I stared in horror at him, but he aimed with the cannon to the wall, far from my body, then shot three times. I flinched with each explosion reverberating in that enclosed space.

He lowered his weapon and then he came to me, he gripped my left hip and pressed the burning cannon of the pistol against the other side. I yelped loudly and tried to move away from the searing metal, but he just pressed me harder. I could smell burnt flesh and hot metal, and the pain on my side did not lessen very much when he put the weapon away. Tears flowed anew and I looked to the other side, my head hanging in defeat.

After a few seconds, he made me lift my face with a hand speckled with dried blood. He studied me with interest while he wiped off a tear from my face with his thumb, I just closed my eyes and bit my lower lip. I heard him exhale and I dared open one eye, he wasn’t doing anything, was he thinking about what would be the next torture?

“I think that’s enough,” he stated, then left me where I was and walked through the door.

I struggled to remain on my tiptoes, especially now that one of my feet was wounded. I thought that if he ever untied me, my wrists would be showing the bones. I looked at my arm, some blood still seeped from the wound, and I could feel the blood flowing from the other gashes.

It had stopped, even if he had left me hanging there. It had stopped? Hadn’t it? I didn’t try to loosen my wrists from the rope, I lingered there, trying not to rely on the coarse rope too much. The door opened after a while and he stepped inside. I looked at him in fear while he withdrew a knife from his belt, but he just reached above my hands and cut the rope.

My knees were weak and they didn’t hold me when its support disappeared. I would have crashed against the floor had he not held me by the waist. He threw the blade to the side to hold me better, his body against mine. I wasn’t strong enough to recoil from him, but I would have done it if I had been able. He lowered me to the ground and then proceeded to untangle the clothes around my wrists, sliding them carelessly up my arms, finally he cut me free.

“Fuck,” he muttered when he saw my wrists, there was a raw line of exposed flesh around them, the surrounding area coloured with caked blood and bruised tissue. It hurt even more when I saw how bad it was. He took one of my forearms carefully and examined the wound. “That doesn’t look good.”

He let me go and my hand fell limply to my side, it barely even registered on my mind. He rummaged in his pockets and took a roll of surgical tape, gauzes, a plastic bottle that probably contained alcohol or some disinfectant, and a tube. He left them on the ground next to me and stood up.

“Cure yourself, I’ll leave the light on, Carlos will come later to get the materials,” he said, looking at me before opening the door.

“Yes,” I mumbled. He left me there, half-naked and bleeding. I didn’t react immediately, just remained there, making sure he wasn’t coming back or that it wasn’t some trick.

The constant pain brought me back to my senses and I started examining my wounds. There were the two burns, one below the breast and the other on the hip, slashes on my arm, thighs, back and foot and the cuts from the rope.

I opened the bottle and tipped it over the slashes on my thighs, my eyes watered heavily while I did the same with the others, cleaning the one in the back with a piece of gauze. Afterwards, I covered them in a rather clumsy way with patches of gauze held to my skin with unevenly cut strips of tape. At last, I squeezed some cream from the tube and spread it over my burned skin, it soothed it in great measure, even if it still stung.

Silently, I left the items next to the door and began to dress myself, putting my bra into place slowly. I let my tank fall over my skin and then slipped into my panties and shorts, grunting whenever the clothes met a sore spot.  I didn’t try to put on my trainers, they would only hurt my foot even more.

I lay on my side and curled with my knees near my chest. My eyes fell on a round stain of blood on the dry floor, my blood. Some tears came to my eyes, unbidden; I rubbed them away furiously. “Stop blubbering, you weakling,” snarled an angry voice inside me. “You’re alive, aren’t you? That’s much more than what you expected when he came through that door. They’re just a few cuts and burns, they will cure and disappear,” it growled.

Yes, I was alive, but who knew for how long? The door opened and a figure bent to pick up the objects and left what looked like a dish on the ground. I gazed at however it was mournfully, not bothering to move or talk. I just lay in the darkness for what felt like hours, until every light disappeared. I would have stayed there forever if it hadn’t been for the hunger I felt, which made me drag myself to the plate and wolf down the cold, watery soup with vegetables.

Finally, I crawled to the end of the shed and shifted gingerly until I found a position that didn’t hurt. I had never been more exhausted in my life, and it wasn’t hard to fall asleep. I forgot the pain and the fear at last, at least for a while.


	21. Chapter 21- Trail

**i there again! I hope you liked my last chapter, because here's another submission! The tone is lighter than the one before, so don't worry XD**

**I'd like to thank everyone who's reading this story, I hope you like how it is developing,if not, you can always tell me. Also, thanks a lot to Redtrouble and Aylia1661 for their reviews on the last chapters.**

**There is quite a lot of sexual content in this chapter, you've been warned ;)**

**I do not own Far Cry nor none of its characters.**

**So, thanks again (I know I say it many times, but I can't tell how grateful I am). As always, please, don't hesitate to comment via reviews or private message should you have any question, proposal or complaint, I'd really like to know your opinion.**

* * *

 

My eyes opened to the dim light of the shed in which I was, I helped myself into an upright position with my elbow and rubbed the yellowish crust out of my eyes. I realized that my wounds didn’t hurt anymore; well, it was about time, taking into account that I had spent four days there since the pirate…I examined the cut on my sole, wrapped with some dirty gauze and a strip of tape. It was still a bit tender, but I put my trainers, stood up and walked around, wincing slightly when I gave the first step. I could bear it, I could walk in a rather comfortable way around that tiny shed.

I crouched to pick the tin cup that was on the ground and gulped the last droplets of water it contained. I threw it to the ground in a listless way and then peered through one of the cracks between the planks. I saw the swaying grass, I could even feel a gust of sweet, soft breeze from there. My eyes took in every detail, yearning to be out there, to touch the nimble blades and walk wherever I pleased.

However, I was trapped there, like a rat in a cage. I had been there for six days, including the first and the second, when he had tortured me, a shiver went down my spine when I remembered his blazing eyes, the pain and the fear. My wounds were closed and the burns had stopped hurting, even the one in the head was totally cured; I had managed to take away the duct tape and the pieces of cloth he had put to staunch the bleeding.

He hadn’t come back after that, the only visits I had received had been Carlos with a dish of food two times a day. He never said anything, just left the dish and picked up the ones from the last meal, on one occasion he had emptied the waste bucket, but nothing else. I had tried to ask him once what was going to happen with me, rushing at him before he left; the only answer I received was a hard push that sent me to the ground. That had been the second day, after that I just looked at him whenever he came, silent.

Four days without talking to anyone, roaming around that small, enclosed space, trying to get glimpses of the outside through the cracks, eating rests of food and sleeping on that hard, dirty floor, a pitiful existence. “Oh, PLEASE, don’t be so melodramatic,” growled an idle voice in the back of my head. “You do nothing but complain and bitch like a little girl, do something, try to escape,” admonished the idle voice.

“I’ve tried, there’s no escape,” I retorted aloud. I had tried to open that door in the hope that Carlos hadn’t locked it properly, but he had been careful. I had even tried to break some of those dry planks, but it was impossible, and after a while Carlos had come and cuffed me in the head for the racket. I sat on my corner again, brooding.

“No, you haven’t. You haven’t tried it hard enough. But you’re too lazy, too cowardly to do anything; he has won, you let him win the moment you gave up, you should be ashamed of yourself. If you want to keep some dignity, you should put that bucket upside down, tie that rope up there around your neck and then jump,” I bared my teeth at the horrible voice’s comments.

“Shut up! SHUT UP!” I growled, trying to silence that irksome voice, stinging me like a gnat, voicing fleeting thoughts that kept crossing my mind.

Suddenly, the door opened and a silhouette appeared in front of me, just outside the shack.  It wasn’t Carlos, anyone would see that.

“Losing your head already? Well, chica, that was fast,” chuckled a familiar voice. He strolled to me while I lingered where I was, knees pulled to my chest, a clenching sensation of fear threatened to smother me, had he come to hurt me again? He squatted in front of me and lifted my chin with his hand.

“What is it, guapa, have I broken you?” he whispered softly, I couldn’t see his face, just his shadow in front of me.

“Why are you here?”  My voice sounded raspy and dry for lack of use. His fingers snaked to my matted and tangled hair and pushed away a few strands that were in front of my eyes.

“Thought I could pay you a little visit, can’t I?” I relaxed imperceptibly when he put away his hand and propped it against his knee. “Boring and hot in here, isn’t it?” he asked when he understood that I wasn’t going to talk.

“Oh, come on. I know how it its being in a place like this, nothing to do, just…darkness and your own mind to torture you, even worse than your captors. The shitty food, the nightmares, the pain and the filth are bad enough, but the worst thing is…loneliness. You feel so alone that you would want to talk even to the fuckers who have you, but you’re just too proud, too stubborn.”

Why was he telling me all this? Why had he come? Was he going to torture me again, trying to lull me into a fall sense of security before starting? How the hell could he know about what I was going through? He was the one who held me, my captor, he didn’t have a clue about what I was going through.

“You can’t know how I feel,” I said, my voice hollow, I studied him, I could see his face more clearly, though his expression was still indistinguishable.

“I know how you feel, believe me,” his voice sounded as if he was smiling wryly. “I know you want to feel the sun on your skin again, the wind, the rain over your face, to feel clean and go wherever you want, the rest doesn’t matter too much as long as you have that. I’m not your enemy, Sofía.”

“What are you then? My friend? My owner?” my voice dripped with derision and bitterness.

“So to speak,” he said after a few seconds. I wanted to know why he had really come, to see if he was going to hurt me again, I needed to ask; I could try, he didn’t look angry.

“What do you want? Did you really come just to see me?” I wondered, he cocked his head to the side.

“To get you out of here,” he answered, as if it was obvious. I didn’t know what I was expecting him to say, but it wasn’t that. It was impossible, he was lying, he had to be lying, it was just some trick.

“Why would you do that?” I asked, trying to read his expression.

“What’s the point of having bought you if I have you here, hmmm? I could always, I dunno, tell Carlos to fetch you whenever I wanted a fuck, or bring a mattress here to come myself, but…that would be really boring, don’t you think?” I didn’t answer, I still didn’t believe him.

“Don’t tell me you’d rather stay here. You could sleep on a real bed, have a shower to clean all that shit, eat real food instead of that rubbish and walk around the camp,” his tone was strangely cajoling, not commanding or mocking like other times.

“And what do you want in exchange for that, just to let you fuck me?” it was the first time I addressed the issue so directly, it surprised even me.

“Yes, among other things,” he said in a casual manner.

“Why do you insist on keeping me?” he shifted his weight for a moment, apparently meditating his answer.

“You’re entertaining, I suppose,” he said at last, shrugging his shoulders, then he stood up and adjusted his trousers. “Well, time to leave, chica. You can come with me by yourself or I will take you out…either way…” he offered me his hand to help me up, I hesitated for a moment but, finally, I gripped his wrist and got to my feet.

“Let’s go,” he said, pulling me in front of him, I walked out of the shack and into the light for the first time in days.

The force of the sun blazed into my eyes, it blinded me for the fraction of a second. There were no clouds in the vivid blue sky, the day couldn’t be more beautiful or welcoming. The smell of grass and humidity filled my lungs and I forgot the rank and dirty stench of the inside of the shed, which started falling behind when we walked a few metres. The dry earth of the trail under my feet crunched with every step, reacting under me, a balmy breeze calmed my heated and slightly sweaty skin. The sole of my foot still hurt a bit, but there were so many sensations, so many different stimuli, that I forgot about it.

We walked among the huts and a different kind of smells reached my nose. I perceived spicy food, tobacco, marijuana, gasoline and dry wood. Birds squawked on the sky and flew from tree to tree, dogs barked and pirates screamed to one another, busy with their day to day activities. Life continued, and I was back at it again, I felt almost happy, a small bubble of hope was beginning to swell in my chest after days of being closed and away from everything.

The pirate walked behind me silently while we went deeper into the camp, a thorn threatening to burst the little bubble of hope at any moment. We bypassed a clump of pirates, they looked at me as if I was some kind of spectre. Well, it should be no wonder, I was prepared to wager that I was one of the few people who angered Vaas and came out of it practically unscathed.

I saw the platform nearby and a chill shook me for a second, I felt I had been very near to ending there. I pushed that thought out of my mind and kept enjoying the feast of sensations around me, it was as if someone had made me twice as sensitive to my environment, as if my nerves had been enhanced.

We were now by the canteen, I recognized the young Somali boy, he stood with his mouth agape when he saw me walking past, but recomposed himself hastily when Vaas threw him a dirty look. We started climbing the slope, the sun hitting on us mercilessly. There it was, the familiar sight of the wood and metal shanty, I couldn’t help but remember the last time I had seen it.

“Home, sweet home, huh?” he said behind me, I turned to him, not knowing what to say. “I have to leave, these fuckers can’t do much without me. Go to the doctor later so he can have a look at the cuts and all that. And…please, take a shower, you really stink,” I felt a flush creeping up my cheeks; well, it was _his_ fault for not giving me enough water to keep myself clean.

“OK,” I said plainly, keeping my face devoid of feeling or expression, despite the rage beginning to swell within me. I turned to leave, however, he held me by the shoulder and made me turn to him.

“Hermana, I’m only giving you this chance. Next time you escape or disobey, I won’t be so lenient; next time…I’ll drive a bullet into your fucking skull,” I looked straight into his eyes, there was no pretending, he was telling the truth; his hand tightened around my arm before releasing me, then he left.

I breathed out in relief when he was far from me, walking down the slope. I didn’t know what he had to do, nor did I care; I watched his retreating back, perfectly distinguishable thanks to his red tank top and his particular strides.

Free, free at last. “You aren’t free, you idiot,” hissed a piercing voice and the little balloon of hope exploded loudly. “You’ve come from a small cage to a big one, but you’re still trapped with _him_ , you will have to do everything he says or he will kill you, you know he’s totally able,” gloated the voice. I walked to the shack, trying to keep the optimism that had filled me while I walked through the camp.

Another very familiar sight, the shanty; I noticed a certain change, however. There was a threadbare and moth-eaten rug on the ground where there had been none before. I supposed it was to cover the stains of blood from the man I had killed, I gulped and entered into the sunny room. My footsteps sounded muffled over the carpet while I looked around.

Barely anything else had changed: rumpled, disordered sheets over an old mattress, a pair of empty bottles and a full ashtray on the crate, the woman’s picture stuck to the wall with a knife, the desk littered with rubbish and bullets. Compared with the place in which I had been, this was the epitome of cleanliness and comfort.

I realised how bad I smelled, I felt myself reddening again; that asshole was right, I needed a shower, urgently. Hesitantly, I opened the wardrobe and saw that my belongings were there, untouched. I sighed in relief while I took a new set of clean clothes, towel, soap, comb, toothbrush and toothpaste. My hand lingered on the razor, I would have to shave, I didn’t like feeling hairy, and also wouldn’t like to go to the doctor like that, so I picked it as well.

When I felt I had everything I needed, I proceeded to the back of the shanty. My passing reflection made me stop for a second. My hair fell matted and lank around my face, deeply tangled in places, half my face was covered in dry blood from the wound, and I could see the rest of me was in no better condition. My clothes had filth from almost a week, and the pirate had ruined the tank, which used to be one of my favourites.

I unclothed myself and flung the dirty clothes to the ground, leaving the things I didn’t need out of the booth. I opened the rusty tap and stepped under the cold water, I sighed in relaxation when it started cooling down my body, soaking into my hair and running down my limbs. I rubbed a big glob of shampoo into my hair and massaged with both hands until I could untangle it. The grime came off easily, though it stayed on the frayed fabric of the gauzes that still covered my wounds.

I pried one of the gauzes in my legs slowly and examined the cut, remembering with a shiver how the pirate had done it. There was a scab over the thin, superficial cut, but it was still tender, I stuck it into place again.

I washed all the dirt that covered me, until I was totally clean. Feeling more at ease with myself, I took the blade to my body and slid it upwards carefully, ridding myself of those unsightly hairs. Once I finished, I rinsed myself under the shower and towelled my whole body until it was dry.

The clothes I had picked were a pair of sporty grey shorts and the orange tank with the palm tree design. I sighed in relief when I put on the more comfortable underwear and clean socks, then faced my reflection in the mirror. Now my hair fell in thick rat-tails to both sides of my face, wet and fresh; my face was clean and had acquired a golden tan that the days of confinement had not managed to vanish too much. However, I looked slightly thinner, and there was a tiny scar on my cheek, where he had cut me.

I brushed my teeth, relishing the taste of fresh mint in my mouth; I combed my hair when I finished, until it fell sleek and soft between my shoulder blades. Once I finished, I picked all my things and went back to the shack to put them into place. I could as well go now to the doctor, though my wounds didn’t seem to have any problem.

Finally, I walked down the slope, fighting to think about other things that weren’t that man stabbing the pirate to death in the chest. The men on the camp goggled at me in an unashamed way when I walked by, apparently still surprised at me roaming freely around the camp. I just walked, too busy enjoying the little measure of freedom I had been given by some strange fate. However, I knew the price for that freedom, and that meant submitting to the pirate’s desires, whichever they were. “Whichever they are,” mocked the dirty voice, “he wants what you have between your legs, he only took you out so as to have it easier.”

There it was, the doctor’s house, I noticed that one of the buildings nearby had burned down, only a few blackened pieces of wood remained. I hadn’t seen it the day the pirate had dragged me into the camp, I was too worried about was going to happen with me. I opened the door and waited for the footsteps inside to come near.

The doctor positively gawked when he saw me. “Hi,” I said with a thin voice, not sure of what to do. The man closed his mouth, but there was still astonishment in his eyes.

“Sorry but…I didn’t expect you, not at all,” he blurted out, looking at me as if I was a ghost or a mirage that could disappear at any moment. “Where are my manners? Come inside, please.”

He stepped to the side to let me in and I followed him into the inside of the house, he closed the door without taking his eyes from me, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he saw. We stood there in uncomfortable silence, at a loss for words.

“Vaas told me to come so you could examine some wounds,” I said at last, shattering the awkward silence between us.

“Yes, of course,” he pointed with his chin towards the stretcher under the window so I would sit on it, I did so and waited. He put on a pair of latex gloves.

“You had a wound in your head the day…he brought you back to the camp. Can I see it?” he asked, I turned my head to the side so he could examine it. He put his hands on my head and examined it carefully.

“It is healing, there doesn’t seem to be any infection and there is no residue inside it. How did you do it? It looked pretty recent when I saw you that day,” he wondered, still studying the side of my head.

“HE did it, hit me with his rifle after I shot,” I hissed, remembering how easily he had defeated me, shame flooding into me.

“I’m sorry that he found you, I hoped you would be able to escape, somehow…but I guess it’s impossible, no one has ever escaped Vaas,” I turned my head and I saw a sad smile on his mouth. “I thought you could have a chance,” he concluded, his hands had fallen to the sides.

“I wish I hadn’t missed, it was so near…I thought I could manage, I thought I would see my family again,” I whispered, staring at the piece of gauze that protruded from under the short. His hand, still with the latex glove, covered mine, warmly.

“You managed, and even if you were caught, you are still alive. Those who tried to escape were executed on the spot by Vaas or he tortured them to death…” I shivered slightly when I remembered his flaring nostrils, eyes blazing with fire.

The weight and pressure of his hand over mine soothed me; it had been long since the last time that I had been touched by another human for no other purpose than comforting me. Other pirates had grabbed, groped or hit me, and their boss…well, he had never comforted me whenever he touched.  We looked at each other’s eyes for a few seconds and then he put away his hand, as if conscious of what he had been doing.

“He…he made more, didn’t he? The other day he came for some cream for burns, gauzes and disinfectant; I asked if I could cure you myself, but he wouldn’t allow it,” I nodded silently.

“I would like to examine them too, if you don’t mind. It would be better if you took off your short and the top, if it isn’t a big problem,” he blurted out.

“Yes, of course, no problem,” I answered, as awkward as him. He pretended to be busy examining some notes that lay over a nearby table while I took the bottom, the top, and my trainers, supposing he would like to examine my foot. I could feel heat in my ears and I threw a cursory glance at the doctor to see what he was doing. I didn’t understand why I felt so awkward all of a sudden, I had been naked in front of the whole camp the day of the fight. I finished and sat over the thin mattress of the stretcher, he turned to me and smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry, I rarely treat women anymore. But, most of all, I fear that Vaas could take this for what it isn’t,” he confessed.

“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly understandable,” I remembered only too well how he had hanged those two men for trying to rape me and then shot the man who hit me.

“He wanted cream for burns, what for?” he asked; I pointed at the burn below my breast and at the one on my hip, trying not to shudder. He crouched and examined them from behind his metallic glasses. “The one on the hip will probably leave no scar, it didn’t burn the skin too much, but the one below the breast…that’s other matter, that kind of burn usually leaves some permanent scarring. Let me see the cuts now, please.”

He unstuck the pieces of gauze and examined them critically, they were dry and yellowish, he prodded with his fingers at the one on the sole.

“Only the epidermis has been cut, they are also clean and they are curing well. The one that worries me the most is the one on the foot, the sweat and the continued pressure over it could be problematic. Be sure to cover it correctly so that the bandages don’t chafe it.”

After that he started replacing the gauzes for new ones, sticking them with ease and precision. I felt more comfortable after that and just allowed him to do his work in silence. However, the door from the other room opened suddenly and a blond woman came out of it.

I felt the blood draining from my limbs when I recognized Sarah, she looked at me as if I was some spirit, gawking shamelessly and her eyes so open they looked about to fall from their sockets. There was surprise in her face, but also a tinge of displeasure. She was even thinner than I remembered, but also rather clean, even if her clothes looked old and were extremely skimpy: a very short skirt and a tiny tank top that showed her slightly soft belly.

We stared at each other for a few seconds. Was she thinking about the fight too? Remembering how I had got on top of her and pummelled my fists against her? Her face was still askew and her nose lumpy and broken, but it was not as swollen.

“What is she doing here?” she asked, her expression now full of hostility.

“Sarah…Do you remember what we talked about the other way’” the doctor stood up and looked at the other woman, she snorted derisively.

“Of course I do, something about leaving the past behind, wasn’t it?” her voice sounded cold.

“The least you could do is talk to her, right now we are all in the same boat,” he said, his voice calm and soft.

“What do you want from me? That I feel sorry for her? She’s the one who should be kneeling and begging for forgiveness for what she did, for all she did!” she said in a loud voice, her eyes so full of hatred that they burned.

“It wasn’t her fault!” stated the doctor in a firm and loud voice.

“No, of course it wasn’t! She wasn’t the one who held my baby while that psychopath threatened my family with killing me, she wasn’t the one who hit me until I was out cold and broke my face, and she wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger and killed that old man!” she was more and more angry, the storm of accusations plummeted against me, I dug my fingers into the thin mattress.

“Do you really think I wanted to do all that???!!! What would have happened to me if I hadn’t? He would have killed me! I don’t even know how I’m alive right now!! Did you ever stop to think that I don’t want anything of this? Do you think I enjoy being his…his…HIS BITCH??” I spat out the word, full of rage, remembering that that was why I was alive.

“At least you’re his bitch, I’m everyone’s bitch!” she snarled bitterly, I stared at her as if dumbstruck. “Nobody in that godforsaken auction would pay a penny for me, I was too ugly, they said, and I had a brat, they said. Of course, you don’t know anything of that bullshit because that motherfucker didn’t want to sell his precious little whore!” she jeered, glaring angrily at me.

 I laughed mirthlessly for a few seconds, the wry smile in my mouth so tense that it hurt.

“Precious little whore, yeah. The same thing as if I had been sold to a perverted old man instead of bought by a total nutter, doesn’t change things too much, or does it?” I stared at her, my lips pursed and my whole body tense.

“Stop arguing, please! I know you have been through a lot, and I understand you have reasons to be angry. However, right now you’re the only two women in this place, and it won’t be easy, for any of you. I’m not asking you to be best friends or anything, just to tolerate each other,” the doctor’s voice had a tinge of impatience, he looked at both of us.

I jumped from the stretcher, still in my underwear, thought I didn’t care right now.

“Look, I’m sorry for…hitting you during the fight, I lost control of myself. I know that saying sorry won’t solve anything, but…I just wanted you to know that I feel really bad for what I did,” I could feel myself blushing due to the remorse, I saw her eyes studying me.

“What happened to you, what are those cuts and the burns?” she asked, pointing with her chin towards my body.

“He made them to punish me…for escaping and trying to kill him,” I looked at the bruised and scarred tissue around my wrists, as if they were two grisly bracelets. I thought I saw her expression softening slightly.

“A pity you didn’t succeed,” she said, her face full of hatred and fear, but not directed towards me.

“Yes, a pity,” I muttered ruefully. Silence fell over the strange trio in that room, there was not so much hostility in the air, but the tension was still tangible.

“I have to leave, the baby is still asleep, I don’t think she will wake up soon,” said Sarah in a half-hearted attempt of easing the atmosphere.

“Of course, don’ worry,” said the doctor, after which she left. The doctor and I looked at each other for a few seconds. We remained in silence for a while, each lost in their thoughts.

“Is it true nobody wanted to buy her?” I said in a low whisper, looking at him.

“So it seems…nobody wanted her, but Vaas decided not to kill her and bring her here to be the camp’s prostitute…he apparently thought it would boost his men’s morale and prevent them from trying to rape other women,” he looked to the other side. I knew that by “other women” he meant me at that moment, as there were no other captives in the camp.

“What about the baby?” I asked, remembering that poor little creature.

“She’s fine, by now. But I strongly suspect Vaas only allowed her to live to control her mother through her…as long as her daughter is alive, Sarah will do anything,” there was a mixture of bitterness and helplessness in his voice.

“Motherfucker,”  I hissed through gritted teeth. How could anyone be so twisted? So unfeeling? I felt utterly disgusted and guilt filled my brain.

“I’ll try to keep both of them safe,” he concluded, I hoped he would be able to do something. “Now, let me finish bandaging those wounds,” I just nodded and sat on the stretcher again, allowing him to work.

He finished and went away so I could get dressed at ease. I finished tying my shoelaces into place and then walked to the table behind which sat the man.

“Thanks a lot for all the help, and for trying to help with Sarah but…I think it’s hopeless, she hates me, and I don’t really blame her,” after that I left, deep in a sombre mood.

I walked absentmindedly towards the pirate’s shanty, the sun touched my skin and the wind played with my hair, I sat on the grass with my back propped against the wall. I was fed up with being closed on the inside, I needed warmth and air most of all. I didn’t know where the pirate would be coming back, but I hoped it wouldn’t be soon, and also that it was tedious work.

 However, there was a shy flame of optimism inside me that didn’t want to be quenched, glowing more and more incandescent the more aware I was that I was alive and on the outside. It was more than I had expected, just some freedom, even if it was rather limited.

I spent there what felt like a long time. I had always hated not doing anything but, in that moment¡, being there, under the blue sky and hearing the sounds from the camp, felt like the best thing I could do.

My stomach began to growl demandingly after a while, I hadn’t eaten anything since the day before. I got up and stretched my limbs, then set out towards the canteen, remembering my old routine.

Everyone looked at me while I was in the queue, some of them did it surreptitiously and others more conspicuously, or blatantly stared. I felt unease under their gazes, conscious that I was alone there. I stepped in front of the fat cook, he spat to the side and looked at me with a sinister smile on his toad-like mouth.

“So it’s true, you must suck cock really well if Vaas didn’t burst your head like a watermelon,” he sneered while he filled my plate parsimoniously.

“Yes, I’m a natural,” I replied silkily, wishing to throw the boiling stew at his face. I left before I did something stupid, but leaving him there like an idiot felt extremely good.

I climbed the slope again and sat under the tree to tuck into my stew. I noticed there were two snipers in each of the towers, but they ignored me and kept looking into the jungle with their binoculars. When I finished, I brought back the dish and the spoon to the canteen zone and immediately went back to the shack. The book was still there, and even though I had finished it I decided to read it again, just to have something to do.

However, my mind kept slipping away and I couldn’t concentrate properly. I began to think about everything that had happened: the plane, the ransom video, the fight, the gun in my hands, the pirate’s body pinning down mine, a pool of blood, me running through the jungle, corpses dangling in nooses, blood sliding down the pirate’s temple, blood running down my legs, darkness.

In an outburst of sheer rage, I hurled the book against the door, it collided against it with a loud clang and fell to the ground. Who did I want to fool? I couldn’t pretend that nothing had happened, I was trapped, so trapped…if only I could stop thinking…

I looked around the room and saw a little orange bottle on the top of the fridge. I got up and looked at it, I remembered them, the pirate had made me bring them when he had a headache, and they made you feel extremely sleepy. I took it and examined the pills it still contained and bit my lips thoughtfully. It felt extremely cowardly to drug myself into oblivion, but I needed my mind to be empty for a while, I had thought too much during those days, and I really needed it.

I took one of them and downed it with a gulp of cold water, it tasted metallic and stale. Then, knowing that I wouldn’t wake up in a good few hours, I started taking my clothes off, looking at the pure white gauzes that covered the cuts. Finally, I curled into a ball on the bed and waited for sleep to come.

Something warm but hard rose from my hips to my chest; it startled me out of my slumber, and I opened my eyes with a frightened gasp. There was a figure sitting with me on the bed, a hand against my neck. Even in the dark of the night I recognized him, he was sitting on the edge of the mattress, his body turned towards me.

He inched nearer to me and then began to slide the tank up my ribs until it rested on top of my chest, baring my breasts to the fresh nightly air. My ribs rose and fell conspicuously, but I made no attempt to move, not yet. He stood up from the bed and got hold of the side of my panties, then began to slide them down, until he could ease them off my ankles. I felt a tightening sensation in my loins which I wasn’t able to interpret; taking a deep breath, I looked at him unbuttoning his trousers and taking off his heavy boots. He caught my tank and tried to take it from my body; however, I sat up silently and took it off myself, throwing it to the ground.

He took out the weapon from his holster and left it over the crate. Even if rather subtle for his standards, the threat was still plain: if I resisted or disobeyed, if he wasn’t pleased…he would kill me.  I stared at him from the bed while he finished taking his clothes off, then he crawled next to me. He pushed me with one hand to make me lie on my back and he started biting the side of my neck. I grunted softly, feeling the warmth of his body over mine, the smell of his skin. I perceived soap and tobacco, but the mingled scents weren’t unpleasant. His mouth bit and sucked alternatively while his coarse hands roamed around my body. I allowed one of my hands to rest over the back of his neck while he kept nibbling mine insistently.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath while I felt his mouth going down, the tip of his tongue trailed down the hollow between my breasts while he stroked my thighs, his fingers barely brushing the gauzes on my skin. His breath over my sensitive skin made me shiver slightly, any trace of sleepiness had vanished from my body.

He nipped the skin on my ribs, I gasped and slid my other arm over his shoulder, resigned and waiting for his next move. The same man who had punished and tortured me now touched and pushed me against him, but I didn’t resist him…it wasn’t that I had given up, but if that was the price for my life, for a bit of freedom…so be it. He rose to me and kissed my lips insistently, his tongue striving to enter my mouth, I yielded and kissed him back, opening my mouth to receive him.

He grunted and grabbed the back of my neck to push me harder against him, his body clinging to mine. Something was poking against the lower part of my stomach while he spread my legs with one hand, the other still grasping the back of my neck. Suddenly, he pushed himself deep inside, I gasped and my body arched against him while I clutched his back with both hands. He himself drew air into his lungs sharply and began to move with deep, long strokes.

I opened my eyes and looked at the room suffused with moonlight, his body moving over mine while he grunted and groaned against me. He bit the crook of my neck, making me shudder and gasp in response, the tightening sensation in my loins growing stronger and spreading through my whole body. His thrusts became more forceful and I grabbed his strong back with both hands, a slight whimper escaping my lips while I struggled to relax. He groaned against my skin and then he slid one arm under my waist, hauling me against his body until he was sitting up, I put my arms around his neck to hold myself; then he lay down again with me on top of him, our heads near the footboard.

He shoved faster and harder, my pelvis colliding against his; he took one of his arms from around my back and snaked it between our bodies until he reached my clitoris. I squirmed and restrained a moan of pleasure, feeling slightly mortified by how easily he could make my body react. His other arm just tightened itself around me while he combined pushing into me with rubbing my centre of pleasure.  His body was hard below mine; my legs rested on the mattress, bent against his sides, my arms still over his and my head resting near his neck.

Pleasure kept building inside me, which only spurred him to rub and thrust faster and harder, I moaned against his ear, my eyes squeezed shut while I felt my climax getting nearer and nearer. Then, he pushed me with his arms until I was sitting upright, his hands moved to each side of my hips.

“Move,” his voice was hoarse and full of lust, I had to contain a groan of frustration. Why did he have to stop right then? I moved my hips over him, sliding over his length while he helped me with his hands; I put mine over his chest and gasped when his member hit new places with each stroke. I increased my pace over him, I saw him baring his teeth and each muscle of his body tensing. Then, he grabbed my back again and pulled me against him while he shoved himself into me, breathing hard against my neck.

Finally, my body tightened one last time and my mind went blank for a few seconds, only the sensations inside mattered. I was aware of his grunts while he was thrown over the edge too, he grabbed me while he moved a few last times and then something filled my loins.

Both of us were out of breath, our bodies warm from the friction and the strain, he kept holding me against him, still inside me. I closed my eyes and gasped in relaxation, my body distended and limp. Something dug uncomfortably against my chest, I realized it was the green stone that hung from his neck.

I slid off him and lay so that my head was resting against the pillow. He stood up after a minute or so and sat beside me, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag. He propped his head against the headboard while I lay on the mattress over my back, feeling very tired. We didn’t speak, there was nothing else to say, just remained there totally naked. Crickets sang out of the shack and some dogs barked, but nothing else could be heard.

He finished the cigarette and went to the wardrobe, he had taken something metallic and gleaming which I recognized immediately. I allowed him to handcuff me to the bed and then lay on my side, still naked. The bed creaked under his weight and he put an arm around my body, the bare skin of my back against his chest. He sighed and I closed my eyes, hoping to be able to sleep.


End file.
